There are many online file storage services available. It is a very good idea to store your data on secured servers, this not only saves your hard disk space but also allows you to sync and recover any lost data during a system crash or any other natural disasters.

Here in are some of the paid and free online file storage services that provide tons of free and paid storage space to store your data securely. Many of these services also allow you to share files over the web and by using specific clients, you can also backup your data automatically without the fear of losing data. The table below shows a detailed comparison of some of the popular online file storage services, look at the table and decide which service best suits you.

Web host/ Features	IDrive	RapidShare	Drop.io	MegaUpload
Language supported	English	English and German	English	English, German, French and Italian
Free trial	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Storage Space	2 GB Free	500 GB for Paid customers	100 MB	50 GB Free and 1 TB for Paid customers
Maximum Upload file Size	None	200 MB for Free users and 2000 MB for paid users	100 MB	1024 MB for free users and not applicable for paid users
Bandwidth limit	Not applicable	500 kbps for free users and paid users can download 2.66 GB per day	None	No Parallel downloads for Free users and unlimited for paid users
Upload Options	Web based and through client	Web based or Direct upload	-	Web based or Direct upload
System Compatibility	Windows 2000, XP and Vista systems	Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS x 10.4 and above systems	Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS x 10.4 and above systems	Windows 2000, XP, Vista and Mac OS x 10.4 and above systems
Option to delete files	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sync option	Yes	No	No	No
Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Encryption	Yes	No	Yes	No

Guest blogger Srikanth writes on Tech Inspiration blog about tips, gadgets, and technology. Check out his blog or Linkedin profile for more.

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If you are Box.net, you can now directly upload files to your account from a Web URL with the help of a Firefox add-on. This add-on is a updated version of the previously mention Open it Online extension which allows users to open documents online without the need to have software installed on their PC.

After installing the add-on when you click on any document or download link, you will see a additional option to save the file directly to Box.net.

Selecting the option will open another confirmation window asking you whether you want to save the file to Box.net.

Select the folder you want to save the file to and it will automatically be saved to your Box.net account.

If you are looking to directly copy your documents to box.net like you do on a local drive, check out our earlier article on how you can mount box.net as a local drive.

To learn more about the add-on visit the Box.net blog. Download the Open It Online Firefox add-on to directly upload files from the web to your Box.net account.

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A Freeware tool called SkyDrive Viewer, allows you to browse and download the files stored in your SkyDrive account from your desktop.

With SkyDrive viewer you can easily login to your SkyDrive account and browse the files and folders you have created there.

You can easily download and save any of the files to your desktop with this tool, making it a bit better alternative than browsing SkyDrive through a web browser.

However this tool lacks the feature where users can upload files from their desktop, we are working hard behind the hood to find a solution for this, so keep tuned to hear more about this.

Which online storage service do you use to backup and store your files? Do let us know through your comments.

Download SkyDrive Viewer

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Storing those files on your desktop is definitely required as a measure to backup the file, however you can also create a online backup of your page with a handy service called BackupURL.

BackupURL is a no frills service, just enter the page you want to keep a backup of online and the service will create the backup and give you a unique URL to access the backup at a future date.

The service also provides users with a registration feature, using which you can keep track of the various backups you have made in the past, nevertheless dead simple to use and could come in handy for times you never plan for.

BackupURL

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However the process of uploading files to multiple hosts can be quite tedious and may also use up heavy bandwidth. There are solutions to this problem in the form of mirror uploads to multiple file sharing hosts.

We came across another option for mirror file uploads called Gazup, which allows users to upload files to multiple file hosts.

The upload process with Gazup is similar to any other file sharing hosts, however Gazup in itself does not host your files, but in turn uploads them to multiple file hosts, including Rapidshare, Megaupload, FileFactory, MediaFire and UploadBox among others.

So the next time you want to upload a file, head to Gazup instead of the individual file hosting providers, to upload your files to multiple file hosts.

Gazup

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