How to Use Google Drive

Google Drive is Google's challenge to Dropbox--a file storage system linked to your Google account and accessible via the Internet, so you can access your files from almost any device on-the-go. Drive is currently available for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Android; it will be launched for iPad and iPhone shortly. Users are given 5 gigabytes (5GB) of free cloud storage to start; additional storage can be purchased for a small fee. Read this article to learn how to get started using Google Drive.

EditSteps

Setting Up Google Drive

1. 1
   Sign into Google Drive with your Google account at http://drive.google.com. If you're a Gmail user, you can use your Gmail account to sign in. There's a red sign-up button on the top right-hand corner of the login page if you don't have a Google account.
   
   
   
2. 2
   Once you've launched Google Drive in your web browser, you will be taken to a page that shows all of the Google Documents you currently have associated with your Google account. A tab will pop up asking if you would like to download Google Drive for PC or Mac--whichever system you are currently on. Do so if you'd like to access your documents from more than your web browser. However, you don't have to use this option.
   
   
   

Using Google Drive from a Web Browser

1. 1
   Create a new file by clicking on Create on the left-hand-side of your screen. This is an extension of Google Docs.
   
   
   
   • 

      New folder button
     Create a new folder by clicking on the gray folder icon above your list of Google Drive files. (It's diagonal from the "Create" button.)
2. 2
   Upload files from your computer clicking on the Upload icon (located to the right of the "Create" button). This will upload file(s) and/or folder(s) to Google's servers and will enable you to share them with various people of your choice. Alternatively, you may choose to keep some or all files private; for this option, you don't need to do anything other than create the document, since sharing is something you must activate for each file.
   
   
   
3. 3
   Using the navigation bar on the left, view the files that people have shared with you, the files that have been starred by you, recent files and more options.
   
   
   
   • The files that you have already uploaded to Google servers can be viewed in the center of the screen. The screen will show you many details, including its owner, its last modification, whether it has been shared with others, and file titles.
     
     
     
   • When you check the box next to files, a menu will pop up allowing you to share, organize, delete, mark as (un)viewed, download, etc., for the selected files. This is where you can add a file to a folder, by clicking on the square box next to the relevant file, then clicking on the folder icon in the menu. A drop-down menu will appear of all your folders, and you can check the relevant folder.
     
     
     
   • Clicking on the star next to a file will quickly allow you to star it––it will turn from clear to yellow. The benefit of stars is that the starred folders can all be viewed at once by clicking on the "Starred" heading in the navigation bar of Google Drive, hiding all unstarred files. This can be very useful if you have a single project holding various documents that you'd like to find quickly and all together.
   • The navigation bar also allows you to see your files by "Activity", which brings the most recently edited files to the top of the list, whether worked on by you or by people you're sharing with.
   • To see all of your files and folders, click on "My Drive". This can fairly daunting to search through if you have lots though! It's a good idea to place related files into folders as you go, to make searching easier.
4. 4
   On the right side, there's a horizontal menu bar at the top that will allow you to adjust your Google Drive settings. Many of them are accessible via the button with the wrench icon.
   • You can click "Sort" to change how your files are sorted (by title, last modified, last edited by me, last opened by me, etc.).
   • You can switch between "List" mode--where files are listed by name and information -- and "Grid" mode--where files are organized by thumbnail screenshots.
     
     
     
5. 5
   You've now walked through the basics of how to use Google Drive. For help and/or more information, you can check out the Google Drive help page athttps://support.google.com/drive/.

Using Google Drive from a PC

1. 1
   Open Google Drive on your web browser at http://drive.google.com. On the left-hand menu, click on the last link, "Download Google Drive."
   
   
   
2. 2
   Once you have installed Google Drive for PC, you will be presented with a short walkthrough of Google Drive's features.
   
   
   
3. 3
   On the second screen, you have the option to alter your sync settings by clicking on "Advanced Setup."
   
   
   
   • Pay attention to the location of your Google Drive folder. Everything placed in that folder will be synced to your Google account on the cloud, so that they can be accessible on other Drive-supported devices. If you'd like to change the location of this folder, press "Change...".
   • If you only want to sync certain folders to your Google account, select those in the "Sync options" box. You will be able to change these later as you create new folders. Note that files not in a folder will always sync.
     
     
     
4. 4
   Open your Google Drive folder. You can do this by going to Start >> All Programs >> Google Drive, or finding the location of your Google Drive folder and double-clicking it.
   
   
   

    Google Drive shortcuts
5. 5
   To upload any file to Google Drive, just copy the file and paste it into the Google Drive folder.
   • Google Drive will automatically sync the file to Google's servers, so you can access that file from any Internet-enabled device logged into your Google account.
   • If there is a tick mark in the icon of the folder or the file that you are uploading, it means that the file has been succesfully uploaded. If not, either the file is still getting uploaded or the upload failed.
     
     
     

Using Google Drive on Android

Google Drive for Android Operating System (OS) was officially launched on April 24th, 2012. Google Drive for Android replaces Google Docs.

1. 1
   Download the Drive by going to Google Play Store on your Android device.
   
   
   
   • Alternatively, you can go to https://play.google.com and download the same.
   • Google Drive runs on devices which have Android 2.1 or higher.
2. 2
   The main screen of Google Drive provides options for navigating within the service. You will have access to files in your Drive, documents that have been shared with you, files or folders you have starred, recently opened, or edited, as well as files you have downloaded for offline access.
3. 3
   Tap on the account name (on the top of the screen) to switch between Google Accounts and respective Drive accounts.
   
   
   

    Main Screen
4. 4
   Create a new item or file by tapping on Menu icon and clicking on 'New'.
   
   
   

    Create a new item
   • The first three options in the menu are similar to the ones that were available in Google Docs.
     • The 'Upload' is new to Google Drive and was not available on Google Docs.
5. 5
   Use 'Settings' screen to set the cache size, enable/ disable encryption of offline documents, and various other features.
   
   
   

    Settings
   • The Cache size can be set from 50MB to 250MB depending on your usage.
6. 6
   Favourite any file or item by clicking on the star to the left side of the title.
   • Starring items will give you easy access to them whenever you use Google Drive.
7. 7
   Click on the small arrow icon on the right-hand side of the title for offline viewing, sharing, sending, renaming, deleting, and opening with another application.
8. 8
   Use the Search feature to search for a particular file, document or folder that you have uploaded or others have shared with you.

EditVideo

EditTips

• It is not mandatory to share a file once you have uploaded it to Google Drive. However, to do so is very simple. In any open file, click on the tab in the upper right hand corner that says "Share". Follow the prompts in the box that pops up, namely adding in the emails of those people you wish to share the document with. It is also possible to make a document public but only do this with non-sensitive information.
• You can use Google Drive to keep a backup of important files in your computer.
• While uploading files to Google Drive Android app, it is recommended to use a wi-fi connection for better speed and lower data charges.
• Read the Google Drive online safety tips to ensure you're keeping your information safe. See:http://www.google.com/goodtoknow/online-safety/

EditWarnings

• Do not share your files with unknown people. You can choose your privacy settings.
• Never give out your password to anyone; it can result in loss of your account.
• Do not download Google Drive for Android from an unverified source. It is recommended to use Google Play Store, Amazon app store, or similar services.

Remove "File Recovery" Malware (Uninstall Guide)

File Recovery is a rogue PC repair and optimization product, misleading at best and fraudulent at worst, that carries a dangerous payload. This fake system repair application pretends to scan a computer for stuff like invalid Windows registry keys, hard drive reading errors, junk files, critical system errors, RAM failures, and much more. Since it doesn’t actually scan a computer for any of these issues it’s not surprising at all that File Recovery scareware reports a bunch of non-existing system errors and threats on a targeted machine. 

The worst part is that it hijacks a compromised computer, intentionally misrepresents the system status and asks user to pay for bogus PC repair software activation to remove non-existing hard drive errors and other risks from the computer. Unlike ransomware, it doesn’t freeze your computer screen (thanks for that). But it does perform actions that prevent user from accessing certain applications and Windows features. In rare cases, it can make computer unstable forcing unexpected reboots and blue screens of death. 

 

If you pay for this rogue application you will lose your money and probably without a chance to get them back. But you can still contact your credit card company and dispute the charges. Who knows it might just work. After all, you don’t have anything to lose. At least you know it’s a scam. Besides, more than 4% of PC users that got infected with scareware think that File Recovery and similar applications are genuine Windows products designed to enhance system protection against viruses and system failures. Bit shocking isn't it.

Scareware infection symptoms are almost identical – fake scanners and misleading security alerts popping up at random intervals. Also, File Recovery is a very generic name and very competitive keyword at the same time. The last one was called Data Recovery. Cyber crooks choose very competitive keywords as their bogus software names making it hard to rank well in search results. It’s a wise move but users will probably search for File Recovery virus or malware or anything like that and we are pretty sure that Google will handle everything just fine. 

Cyber crooks use various techniques like spam; drive-by downloads, and fake virus scanners to distribute rogue security applications. Even thought, most of the reports show that Fake AV applications seem to be on decline, they are still a significant threat. There are still many active scareware distribution channels and affiliate networks called ‘partnerka.’ The rules are different now. Two or more years ago, cyber crooks that were promoting scareware earned ~$25 per sale or sometimes even more. Now, they can earn $50 and more. 10k infected machines per day adds additional 10% revenue share. But yeah, in the last few months, there hasn't been much to talk about.

This rogue HDD repair program hides certain files, usually shortcuts and Desktop icons, and moves other files to Windows %Temp%\smtmp folder.

 

Do not delete any files from your Temp folder. We will show you how to restore hidden files in the removal guide below.

Certain fake security applications as well as fake PC repair utilities use very aggressive methods to scare users into believing that their computer are badly infected or damaged while others show up every ten minutes or so and remind you about security issues that need your attention. Recent scareware variants had working uninstallers, so levels of aggressive behavior are clearly different. Unfortunately, File Recovery malware uninstall doesn't work. You can find the uninstaller in your "All Programs" list. Clicking uninstall button calls a fake system error (see the image below). The rogue application claims that you cannot uninstall it because your local disk is not accessible. The funny thing is, you can uninstall whatever program you want but not this one. Coincidence? :) Of course not.

 

File Recovery removal is relatively easy unless it comes bundled with sophisticated malicious software, very often the ZeroAccess rootkit. When running, the rogue application blocks access to Web pages by showing a warning message in the browser and shuts download running antivirus software. But don’t worry there’s definitely a way to remove File Recovery virus. Scroll down a bit for step-by-step removal instructions. If you need help removing this malware from your PC, please let me know (leave a comment below). Good luck!

Source: http://deletemalware.blogspot.com 

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Quick File Recovery malware removal:

1. Use the activation key given below to register your copy of File Recovery malware. This will allow you to download and run recommended malware removal software and automatically restore hidden files and shortcuts. Don't worry, you're not doing anything illegal. Select "Trial version. Click to activate" (at the bottom of the fake scanner screen). Use fake email and the following activation key:

fake@mail.com
56723489134092874867245789235982

 

2. Download TDSSKiller and run a system scan. Remove found rootkits (if any). Reboot your computer if required.

3. Download recommended anti-malware software (Spyware Doctor) and run a full system scan to remove this virus from your computer.

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Alternate "File Recovery" removal instructions:

1. First of all, you need to unhide the files and folders. Select Run... from the Start Menu or just hit the key combinationCTRL+R on your keyboard. In the Open: field, enter cmd and hit Enter or click OK. 



At the command prompt, enter attrib -h /s /d and hit Enter. Now, you should see all your files and folders. NOTE: you may have to repeat this step because the malware may hide your files again.



If you still can't see any of your files, Select Run... from the Start Menu or just hit the key combination CTRL+R on your keyboard. In the Open: field, enter explorer and hit Enter or click OK.



2. Open Internet Explorer. Select Run... from the Start Menu or just hit the key combination CTRL+R on your keyboard. In the Open: field, enter iexplore.exe and hit Enter or click OK.

Open Internet Explorer and download TDSSKiller. This malware usually (but not always) comes bundled with TDSS rootkit. Removing this rootkit from your computer is very important (if exists). Run TDSSKiller to remove the rootkit. 



3. Finally, download recommended anti-malware software (Spyware Doctor) to remove this virus from your computer. 

NOTE: in some cases the rogue program may block anti-malware software. Before saving the selected program onto your computer, you may have to rename the installer to iexplore.exe or winlogon.exe With all of these tools, if running Windows 7 or Vista they MUST be run as administrator. Launch the program and follow the prompts. Don't forget to update the installed program before scanning.

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Manual File Recovery removal instructions:

1. First of all, you need to unhide the files and folders. Select Run... from the Start Menu or just hit the key combinationCTRL+R on your keyboard. In the Open: field, enter cmd and hit Enter or click OK. 



At the command prompt, enter attrib -h /s /d and hit Enter. Now, you should see all your files and folders. NOTE: you may have to repeat this step because the malware may hide your files again.



2. The rogue application will place an icon or your desktop. Right click on the icon, click Properties in the drop-down menu.

 

Then click the Shortcut tab. 

The location of the malware is in the Target box.

 

On computers running Windows XP, malware hides in:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\


On computers running Windows Vista/7, malware hides in:
C:\ProgramData\


NOTE: by default, Application Data folder is hidden. Malware files are hidden as well. To see hidden files and folders, please read Show Hidden Files and Folders in Windows. 

3. Click "Find Target..." button, it will take you to the folder where the malicious files are located. Or you can simply browse to those files manually.

Example Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\2yZ~pcB_RY.exe

Example Windows Vista/7:
C:\ProgramData\2yZ~pcB_RY.exe

Basically, there will be a couple of  files named with a series of numbers or letters. 

 

For example, rename 2yZ~pcB_RY.exe to virus.vir and click Yes to change it. Please note, your file name will probably be different. 

 

It should be: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\virus.vir

Instead of: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\2yZ~pcB_RY.exe

4. Restart your computer. The malware should be inactive after the restart.

5. Open Internet Explorer and download TDSSKiller.This malware usually (but not always) comes bundled with TDSS rootkit. Removing this rootkit from your computer is very important (if exists). Run TDSSKiller and remove the rootkit.



6. Download recommended anti-malware software (Spyware Doctor) to remove this virus from your computer 

NOTE: in some cases the rogue program may block anti-malware software. Before saving the selected program onto your computer, you may have to rename the installer to iexplore.exe or winlogon.exe With all of these tools, if running Windows 7 or Vista they MUST be run as administrator. Launch the program and follow the prompts. Don't forget to update the installed program before scanning.

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Associated File Recovery files and registry values:

Files:

Windows XP:

• %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS]
• %AllUsersProfile%\Application Data\[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
• %UsersProfile%\Desktop\File Recovery.lnk
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\File Recovery.lnk
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\Uninstall File Recovery.lnk

%AllUsersProfile% refers to: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users
%UserProfile% refers to: C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]

Windows Vista/7:

• %AllUsersProfile%\[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS]
• %AllUsersProfile%\[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe
• %UsersProfile%\Desktop\File Recovery.lnk
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\File Recovery.lnk
• %UsersProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\File Recovery\Uninstall File Recovery.lnk

%AllUsersProfile% refers to: C:\ProgramData 
%UserProfile% refers to: C:\Users\[User Name]

Registry values:

• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS].exe"
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run "[SET OF RANDOM CHARACTERS]"
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Associations "LowRiskFileTypes" = '/{hq:/s`s:/ogn:/uyu:/dyd:/c`u:/bnl:/ble:/sdf:/lrh:/iul:/iulm:/fhg:/clq:/kqf:/`wh:/lqf:/lqdf:/lnw:/lq2:/l2t:/v`w:/rbs:'
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments "SaveZoneInformation" = '1'
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Download "CheckExeSignatures" = 'no'
• HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main "Use FormSuggest" = 'yes'