AOL Xdrive will close Janurary 12, 2009 - How to Backup Files
Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago at 7:40 PM. 7 comments
Posted in AOL.
AOL sent out an email today warning users to backup all your storage from Xdrive. Xdrive will shut down on Janurary 12, 2009. This also affects Bluestring users as well since both websites use the Xdrive platform. We’ll help you along the way and run through some steps you can use to backup files. We’ll also add in some tips for other websites you can backup your files to.
Did You Know: By backing up all files from Xdrive…
You are also backing up pictures from AOL Pictures.
How to Backup Xdrive Files
- First log into Xdrive
- Click Download Your Entire Account
As you reach this step either you’ll see a link of a zip of all your files or not. It depends on if your zip is ready or not. If it is, download the file and you can extract all your files in a Zip File. Click here to learn how to open and extract a zip file. If your files are not ready yet, please keep reading on.
How to Generate A Zip Backup
If your files are not ready, go back to the previous page and click on Xdrive Classic, a new window will now pop up on the screen.
Click on the small tick box next to the word name, then click the green download arrow. It will take several minutes for the download box to appear, please be patient as Xdrive generates your zip file.
One it pops up, click save, or save file. Choose the location you want it to download in, like for example, Desktop. Don’t understand zip files? Click here to learn how to take files out of a zip file.
Where can I backup my Xdrive files online?
Well there are several places, we shall list some we deem appropriate for your Xdrive content. Each site has their own rules and limitations, you may not be able to get back the same amount of space you used up before. Below there will be a review for each site and you can decide whether you want to use it or not.
Box.net would be the first choice for Xdrive Users
- 1GB of Space (4GBs less than Xdrive)
- 25Mb File Size
- 10GB/Month
ADrive.com has as much storage as the premium version of Xdrive.
It has some of the features Xdrive has.
- 50GB of Space (Same as Xdrive Premium)
- 2GB File Size
- Unknown Bandwith
For Xdrive users who liked having a program to upload files, Dropbox has a similar experience where one can just drag and drop a file, and it will be uploaded into storage.
- 2GB of Space (3GBs less than Xdrive)
- 350MB File Size
- Unknown Bandwith
You might want to check out ElephantDrive too. They are listed on the Xdrive website as a suggested alternative and it seems pretty robust.
You can use backup software, the web site, or a mapped drive to access files. The bad news is only 1 GB of free storage - the good news is that for $9.95/month you get way more storage than xdrive. It says unlimited - who know if it is really unlimited, but I was referred by a buddy who has 90 GB and counting.
Hi, this is Sean - I’m the Community Manager for Box.net. I just want to let you know that we offer affordable plans beyond our free 1 GB account, with much more storage (5 GB and up), unlimited bandwidth and allow individual file sizes of up to 1 GB each. We want to help Xdrive users manage any kind of file migration as smoothly as possible, so feel free to reach out to us directly with any questions to Info@Box.net or visit http://www.Box.net to review the storage and file sharing options we provide. We understand it’s a challenging situation and users may have lots of questions to ensure a safe, simple and secure transition to Box.net. We’re here to help.
Hey Mike! Long time, no talk.
I’ve already started to update my blog to reflect what a train wreck AOL is becoming.
Love what you’ve done with your site. It’s so well.. put together.
I’ve added your blog to mine, anyway.
Hey Mike, I tried to visit your blog but it says invitation only.
Sorry about that. I was doing a “minor” update that took 2 hours long. (reformatting my AOL Hitlist post, adding the logos’ etc). Lol
Should be up now.
So I tried to log onto xdrive.com today and the website isn’t loading. Anyone know what’s going on with that or if you are having the same problems? I get the “Page cannot be displayed” error. I backed up all my music on there and somehow I lost a bunch of songs so I want to download my account before xdrive goes down for good. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Matt
Hi Matt,
The Xdrive website was down today for an extended period of time, but it now appears to be back up. There are several recommended sites for moving you data to a new online storage service, but only one offers a seamless process.
If you visit ElephantDrive, you can provide your Xdrive credentials and we (disclaimer: I work at ElephantDrive) will automatically move your data directly from Xdrive to ElephantDrive. It is faster and simpler than manually downloading and re-uploading. That said, if you are interested please act now. The Xdrive service is shutting down soon and problems like today’s could recur.
Hope this helps…