Not So Random Thoughts...

If you are anything like me, you regularly manage multiple accounts to run a variety of cloud based services for personal and potentially professional purposes. I was looking to quickly switch my SkyDrive account and came to the realization that it wasn’t the most obvious of tasks to complete.

<stepping on soap box> The option to unlink your SkyDrive account should be made much more obvious (e.g.-  from the Right Click menu in Step 1 below) which would stream line the process and enhance the user experience. I would imagine the intent of burying the Unlink action is an attempt to make sure users don’t accidentally unlink their account. Couldn’t the same thing be achieved by adding some business logic validating the unlink process (e.g. - “Are you sure you want to unlink your account? The world might end if you unlink your account so make sure you mean it before pressing the unlink button…”)? </stepping on soap box>

Follow these steps to unlink the account currently associated with your SkyDrive application followed by the steps to associate a new account:

Right click the SkyDrive icon in your system tray and select Settings.

Press the Unlink SkyDrive button and don’t forget to read the fine print that basically states your files will still be available on you local machine but they will no longer be synchronized on SkyDrive.com blah, blah, blah…

The all too familiar (or at least it should be familiar) Welcome to SkyDrive dialogue magically pops up and no there isn’t an “Are you sure?” built into the logic. Click the Get started button to proceed.

Enter the credentials to your alternate SkyDrive account and click Sign in.

At this point in the Sign in process you have a choice to make (which folder you want to associate with your alternate SkyDrive account). You have the default option to associate it with the existing directory, or if you are like me, associate it with a new directory dedicated to the alternate account. Select the Change button and select/create the directory you would like to associate with your alternate account. If you are selecting a pre-existing SkyDrive directory you will be warned that files already exist and files will be merged. Select the Use this location button assuming you want to proceed. Otherwise, select the Choose new location and create a new directory. Once you have selected the appropriate path, click the Next button.

Select your desired sync option and click Next.

Select your Fetch preference and select Done.

Once completed you will have successfully associated an alternate account to your SkyDrive application.

I’m a SkyDrive Insider, ask me about SkyDrive or learn more about the SkyDrive Insiders program here.

As a SkyDrive Insider, I committed to using SkyDrive in my regular routine. In order to achieve this, I decide my best option would be to leverage SkyDrive for my day-to-day file sharing and file syncing across devices needs in lieu of Dropbox.  The Dropbox application was already running on my laptop so all I needed to do was install the SkyDrive application. After completing the install of the SkyDrive application on my Windows 7 laptop I suddenly realized that I had a dilemma:

How do I get my files that I have saved on DropBox into SkyDrive without literally copying and pasting each item or WORSE uploading them via the web interface?

I can tell you that the thought of copying 5+ GB of files from one directory to the next was NOT my idea of fun. Feel free to try  it the “old-fashioned way” but I was determined to make this a quick and painless process.

I navigated to SkyDrive Apps store to see if I had any options. Zapier seemed like a possibility but after playing with it for 20 minutes with no measurable results I decided to pivot (Chalk this one up as a defeat. I may have lost the battle but the war rages on).

So what is a desperate human being to do? I will admit I spent an additional 5 minutes looking at my API options when it suddenly occurred to me…

ROBOCOPY

This oldie but goodie might just do the trick!  This option is not for the faint of heart (that would be your average user) but let me tell you how much EASIER it would be than the “old-fashioned way”. So I gave it a whirl and it worked like a CHARM in less than five minutes, no less!!!

For those unfamiliar with ROBOCOPY it is a powerful, CMD Line utility that makes moving files around a breeze. I’ve been using it to backup my files for years and the syntax is fairly simple.

First, in order to run ROBOCOPY, you must have administrative rights and run the CMD prompt with elevated privileges. Another words, you will have to right click the CMD icon in your Start menu and select “Run as administrator”. The following instructions to do just that work perfectly on my Windows 7 laptop: 

1. Click START and type CMD in the “Search programs and files” search box
2. Right click CMD and select RUN AS ADMINISTRATOR
3. Type in the ROBOCOPY command line script as shown below replacing my SOURCE and DESTINATION information with your own 

Example #1 (No spaces in the path to each directory):

robocopy /Z /E C:\Users\BillAnnibell\Dropbox C:\Users\BillAnnibell\SkyDrive

Explanation: ROBOCOPY (options) SOURCE DESTINATION  

Example #2 (At least one space in the path to a directory):

robocopy /Z /E “C:\Users\Bill Annibell\Dropbox” “C:\Users\Bill Annibell\SkyDrive”

Note: There is a space between my first and last name in example #2. Remember, you must use quotes around paths that include spaces.

Options:

/Z = Backup mode (overrides any directory permissions)

/E = Copies subdirectories including empty ones

/S =  OPTIONAL (use instead of /E): Copies subdirectories NOT including empty ones

That’s it! Old school? Yes, but it got the job done!

Have you had any success moving files from one file-sharing application to another? If you have please let me know. I would love to try it out!

I’m a SkyDrive Insider, ask me about SkyDrive or learn more about the SkyDrive Insiders program here.

“Great news! We received your application to be a part of the SkyDrive Insiders program and we would love to have you join us!”

So stated the email that I received a few weeks ago from the great folks in Redmond running Microsoft’s SkyDrive Insiders program. So of course, the first few thoughts that ran into my head included the following: 

I don’t remember filling out an application? Did I really fill out an application? The SkyDrive Insiders program sounds vaguely familiar so yes, I must have filled out an application at some point… 

Wow, what did I get myself into? 

After reconciling the above, I graciously accepted the invitation which requires me to A) Incorporate the use of SkyDrive into some sort of routine and B) Write about my experience using SkyDrive 8-10 times throughout the course of 2013 via my blog. 

How hard could this actually be, right? 

I’ve used SkyDrive, albeit sparingly as of late, for the last couple of years. Heck, I was a beta tester of Windows Live Mesh, and back in what seems like the dark ages, I was an early adopter the now Microsoft owned Groove. 

I’m have always been a PC-guy and I have augmented my arsenal with an iPad and an iPhone to get things done both professionally and personally. The issue is my use of what seems like EVERY file sharing and note taking tool available to man. This might sound a bit dramatic but the reality is I use, to some degree, the following tools on a somewhat regular basis: 

• DropBox (Daily)
• SkyDrive (Monthly)
• Google Drive (Twice. Ever.)
• OneNote (Weekly)
• Evernote (Daily)
• Note+ (Monthly)
• Flickr (Weekly)

Talk about data fragmentation and silos (or at least my own personal version of them). 

Well I’m here to tell you that I’m ALL IN! I’m going to use this opportunity, as a SkyDrive Insider, to consolidate the varying tools I leverage and use them in a far more focused and efficient way. SkyDrive is going to be the focal point and I intend to limit, if not eliminate, my use of other file sharing tools when and where it makes sense. OneNote will become my note taking tool of choice and I am sure I will find unique ways to leverage Office web apps too. 

I will be sure to share my victories just as I promise to share my mistakes (I hope I don’t have to share my defeats but I will if I must). So stayed tuned and check back often. It should be a fun year! 

I’m a SkyDrive Insider, ask me about SkyDrive or learn more about the SkyDrive Insiders program here.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) has issued Vulnerability Note VU#625617 in response to vulnerabilities discovered in Java 7 Update 10 and any earlier Java 7 versions that “can allow a remote unauthenticated attacker to execute arbitrary code on a vulnerable system”. Given the widespread use of Java across platforms (including most PCs and Macs) and that Oracle (the owner of Java) has yet to announce a solution to this exploit the US-CERT suggests disabling the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) in your browser, at a minimum, until such time that a viable solution is devised and distributed.

How do I disable Java in my browser?

Chrome

1. Open Chrome and navigate to Settings
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the show advanced settings link
3. In the Privacy section select Content settings…
4. In the Plug-ins section click the Disable individual plug-ins… link
5. Scroll down to Java(TM) and click the Disable link

Internet Explorer (IE8)

1. Open Internet Explorer and select Tools - Manage Add-ons
2. Scroll down to the Oracle America, Inc section and highlight the Java(tm) Plug-in… and click the Disable button
3. There may be more than one plug-in so follows steps 1 & 2 for each Java plug-in

If you are running Safari, Firefox, or any other versions of Internet Explorer (which I am not at the moment) please feel free to leave instructions on how to disable the JRE in the comments sections and I will update the post.

NOTE: For those that have no need for the JRE and want the best possible protection from this vulnerability, your best bet is to UNINSTALL the JRE.