Backing up with Dropbox

Dropbox is as great free tool that no one has an excuse not to have. It is a good first step into the cloud for any user. Dropbox lets you designate a folder on one or more computers that automatically syncs to the cloud (on their secure servers). What does this mean for you? Using Dropbox, you can (for free):

• Access up to 2 GB of your documents through a web portal on any computer. This means no more trips back to your room because you forgot to email yourself something or left your flash drive.
• Have a secure backup if your something happens to your computer and you were not able to access your data.
• Keep folders on one or more computers synced.
• Host documents that you want to publicly share with others without having to upload them to another website.

Now to get started:

1. Go to the registration page.
   Be sure to register using your @columbia.edu email address because you get extra space as a student.
   The registration process is quite simple—just follow the steps and confirm your email address.
2. Download the software and follow the instructions for installation. This is very easy. You can do it.
3. Move the files you want to have synced into your Dropbox folder. You won’t have enough space for videos, music, or photos with a free account, but you can definitely put important documents that you want to access easily and safeguard.
4. Configure your Dropbox folder to be the default save folder. In Word or an Office program, go to the “Word” section of the top menu and open “Preferences.” Go to the bottom row of icons and select files, click modify and set your default document save location to your Dropbox folder.