SkyDrive application for Win7: how to use multiple accounts?

[Roland Schweiger]

recently i installed the SkyDrive application for Windows7.
(the one that comes with Windows Essentials)

Overall it works well and at last allows a kind of "mounting" of the
skydrive folders/files as if it was a network drive.
Sync between computers and the files on the "host" works fine.

Just a dumbie question:
if someone has 2 @live accounts (or hotmail addresses or other login that
allows usage of SkyDrive),
is there any possibility that skydrive app will let you uue both of them,
with separat local folders on the PC, e.g.
%userprofile%\SkyDrive
and then for the second account
%userprofile%\SkyDrive2

The only method until now for me is to create a different windows user and
switch between the windows users ...

greetings

Roland Schweiger

 

[SC Tom]

recently i installed the SkyDrive application for Windows7.
(the one that comes with Windows Essentials)

Overall it works well and at last allows a kind of "mounting" of the
skydrive folders/files as if it was a network drive.
Sync between computers and the files on the "host" works fine.

Just a dumbie question:
if someone has 2 @live accounts (or hotmail addresses or other login that
allows usage of SkyDrive),
is there any possibility that skydrive app will let you uue both of them,
with separat local folders on the PC, e.g.
%userprofile%\SkyDrive
and then for the second account
%userprofile%\SkyDrive2

The only method until now for me is to create a different windows user and
switch between the windows users ...

greetings

Roland Schweiger

Have you read this:

http://social.technet.microsoft.com...i/thread/4fc10639-02db-4665-993a-08d865088d65

I would think on the login page, if you use the second login name, then a
separate folder would be created for that user. I haven't tried it (I only
have one Live login), but that would make sense (I know, I know,).

 

[...winston]

Hello Roland,
SCTom's response is in the ballpark that the logon process has an impact on using more than one SkyDrive (when having multiple Live
ID/Microsoft Accounts)....but it does take some advance planning and a methodical (albeit sloppy) approach to have **two or more***
unique Live ID/Microsoft Account SkyDrive folders locally on your machine.

In the explanation below I am going to refer to the account as a Microsoft Account and abbreviate it as 'MA' (its shorter to type
and the MA is the replacement term for Live ID though the latter is still used in a variety of legacy software etc. or
interchangeably by many in discussions).

By design the SkyDrive desktop app creates the default SkyDrive folder for any used MA at
C:\Users\<your windows profile name>\SkyDrive
i.e. if you use more than one Live MA the second one used will overwrite any previous userprofile\SkyDrive folder if left to
perform its default action.

To ensure that the above does not occur, one is given the option during the setup of the first SkyDrive to 'Change' the SkyDrive
folder name (path)
Whatever works best for you to delininate the different MA accounts will do fine.
- one could use the domain name (Hotmail, Msn, Live, Outlook) of the MA account or even the username if they are different or if a
common username with a suffix. The examples below show a path with a unique subfolder name under My Documents and the subsequent
SkyDrive folder
e.g. Path names
C:\Users\<your windows profile name>\My Documents\SD_HM <or SD_MSN, or SD_Live or SD_OL>
or
C:\Users\<your windows profile name>\My Documents\SD_Elvis <or SD_Ringo or SD_Kobi>
or
C:\Users\<your windows profile name>\My Documents\SD_ElvisHM <or SD_ElvisLive or SD_ElvisOL>

Note: Even third party email addresses can be MA's (e.g. Yahoo or Gmail or Earthlink email accounts thus their domains or username
could also be effectively be used for folder/path naming etc.)

Once done a SkyDrive folder will be setup under that path
e.g.
C:\Users\<your windows profile name>\My Documents\SD_HM\SkyDrive

To setup a second SkyDrive, the first SkyDrive needs to be disconnected (the default is to Start SkyDrive automatically when you
sign in to Windows and Link the SkyDrive to the respective MA's cloud SkyDrive).

To disconnect the first SkyDrive (and have the opportunity to create another unique local path) access the SkyDrive settings (rt
click 'white clouds' SkyDrive icon in the Notification area, click Settings and uncheck 'Start SkyDrive automatically' and 'Unlink
SkyDrive'
To create the second MA SkyDrive run the SkyDrive executable (SkyDrive.exe) which is stored in the Userprofile/AppData
folder/subfolder
- C:\Users\<windows logon profile>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\SkyDrive\SkyDrive.exe
***It would be prudent to create a shortcut to the file and place it on your desktop, Taskbar or QuickLaunch toolbar (if Win8 the
shortcut can be added to the StartScreen or Desktop or Desktop Taskbar)****

Now that your are disconnected...just run SkyDrive.exe and create a new SkyDrive folder with another unique name for the other MA.

Thereafter to access/use a different MA SkyDrive ensure you unlink any existing SkyDrive MA by closing it via the SkyDrive icon's
Settings (disabling it from starting with Windows and unlinking it from the cloud)

The next time you run SkyDrive.exe you'll be asked to sign with your MA username and password and given the same option to 'Change'
the default folder, clicking Change will allow you to navigate to a different path, select the path and use the existing(chosen)
previous created uniquely named folder.

Every time you connect to a SkyDrive for any MA it will sync in both directions (anything changed locally or in the respective MA
at SkyDrive.com will be common after the sync).

The folders/files you create locally can always be accessed (at any time) in Windows Explorer but you can only connect (by design)
to one SkyDrive at a time in the SkyDrive desktop app.

Good luck...once you do it a few times it will become relatively rote.
--
....winston
msft mvp mail


"Roland Schweiger" wrote in message
recently i installed the SkyDrive application for Windows7.
(the one that comes with Windows Essentials)

Overall it works well and at last allows a kind of "mounting" of the
skydrive folders/files as if it was a network drive.
Sync between computers and the files on the "host" works fine.

Just a dumbie question:
if someone has 2 @live accounts (or hotmail addresses or other login that
allows usage of SkyDrive),
is there any possibility that skydrive app will let you uue both of them,
with separat local folders on the PC, e.g.
%userprofile%\SkyDrive
and then for the second account
%userprofile%\SkyDrive2

The only method until now for me is to create a different windows user and
switch between the windows users ...

greetings

Roland Schweiger

 

[Roland Schweiger]

...winston" schrieb

Good luck...once you do it a few times it will become relatively rote.

Hello Winston,

tnx very much for the detailed explaination.
Indeed i already had the very similar idea bud did not want to do such a
test
because i was not sure of how the 2-way-sync-mechanism works and was afraid
to end up with local folders that differ from the folders on the server.
Nice to read that your described method works.

As up-streams of typical home ADSL lines are generally not too fast, it
technically makes sense to always only have one account in use,
but having some experimental accounts from the past, i want to join all my
files together.

Overall i am beginning to really like the skydrive app because the syncing
across multiple PCS really seams to work fine;
i was able to test it with 3 PCs (two located in Germany, one in Vienna in
Austria) and i tested up/downloading larger files,
moving and also deleting them and lookt at how fast the deleting would
appear on the other PCs.
Very nice that the icon in the notification area tells you if sync is still
in progress or if it is up to date.

In the past i had always wanted to mount skydrive as a "network drive" and
there was a possibility with the CID-number in the network path,
but this never really worked properly.

The skydrive application for Windows7 in my case, really is a good
development and eventually makes this "cloud service" really usable
especially if some everyday-data really has to travel between more than one
PC ...

greetings

Roland Schweiger