back to article Pack up, go home to your family: Google Drive is flipping out

Many users are experiencing disruption with Google Drive cloud storage and file backup today. According to Down Detector, more than 7,000 users have reported issues including the app not loading, inability to access files and broken synching. It's not the first time Drive has gone wonky. The last major outage back in January …

  1. vir

    Just A Reminder

    No one cares about your data as much as you do.

    1. The Man Who Fell To Earth Silver badge
      Flame

      Re: Just A Reminder

      If you really cared about your data, you'd not store it in the cloud.

      1. FuzzyWuzzys
        Stop

        Re: Just A Reminder

        Cloud storage/backup is not a problem...just don't make it your only backup!

        1. Danny 14

          Re: Just A Reminder

          i was scoffed at by senior management for keeping our data onsite where i have 2 insependent backups and a resilient hot storage all in separate buildings. but we wouldnt need this expensive infrastructure in rhe cloud they said. one day there was an outage of internet on our primary 100mb line. the backup wireless is only 10mb and our cloud apps were slow enough to show mgmnt the error of their thoughts. never mind an outage of the actual provider.....

  2. smudge
    Flame

    We reached out to Google for additional information

    No you didn't. You asked them.

    1. frank ly

      Re: We reached out to Google for additional information

      Now if you feel that you can't go on

      Because all of your data is gone ........

    2. Eddy Ito

      Re: We reached out to Google for additional information

      I wonder if it's the result of the Drive File Stream roll out and the announced death of the Google Drive app as announced in this googleblog post.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Obligatory...

    It's working okay for me!

    1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: It's working okay for me!

      How would you know? You were out boozing all afternoon.

  4. Dr Mantis Toboggan
    FAIL

    Thousands

    Out of over 2bn users. Remind me what percentage that is?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Thousands

      Well, the number of thousands isn't specified and the article is only quoting a single source.

      As it's working for me the percentage might be as high as (2,000,000,000,000 - 1) / 2,000,000,000,000 x 100 which in my pedantic example is roughly 99.99999999995%

      I'm bound to have made a mistake in the maths, I've been drinking this afternoon!

      1. Martin Summers Silver badge

        Re: Thousands

        "I've been drinking this afternoon!"

        Tea has that effect on you?!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Thousands

          *water* can make me suck at math...

    2. Paul Crawford Silver badge

      Re: Thousands

      "Out of over 2bn users"

      How many of those general Google users also use the Drive product?

      1. Chris G

        Re: Thousands

        You can deduct me from the 2 billion and you can also deduct me from any of Microsoft's cloudy offferings, including the Outlook bits like driveby or whatever it's called.

  5. ElReg!comments!Pierre

    My FTP repo, OTOH,

    is still working flawlessly.

    A lot of people use GDrive here despite it being forbidden (it's -usually- more reliable than our in-house solution TBH, but it is a confidentiality / infosec hazard)

    1. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: My FTP repo, OTOH,

      Is it? Supports 2FA, supports removal of downloaded files from devices, can lock out devices, can enforce device patch level and anti-virus policy, supports immediate lockout of expired users, supports restrictions on download and print. Logs every file access, and whether it was downloaded or just viewed in a browser.

      1. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

        Re: My FTP repo, OTOH,

        "Supports 2FA,..." <snip list of things GD does.>

        But do you know which jurisdiction the data is in at any one time?

        1. G2
          Black Helicopters

          Re: My FTP repo, OTOH,

          even if the server(s) hosting the files is(are) in Russia or Switzerland, that's still under USA jurisdiction... well, at least according to them

          e.g.

          https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/26/supremes_microsoft_warrant_case/

          https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/20/google_must_provide_overseas_gmail_data/

  6. Banksy

    Rubbish anyway

    Google Drive office productivity apps are rubbish anyway. Use anything else.

  7. Mark 85

    No outsourced cloud here, but I do feel for those who are using it. Then again... maybe I should just gloat and smirk? Maybe it's just me, but I'm not comfortable letting others hold onto (and probably mine) my data or worse, lose it, corrupt it, etc.

    I suspect I feel this way because of the dot com bust and the many folks who lost massive piles of stuff (for some value of "piles") when many companies went bust and shut down their servers overnight. It was a hard lesson which seems to have been lost to history.

  8. Alan Sharkey

    Do your own - it's safer

    I have my own cloud - a Synology box - with my own data limits in the terabyte range. And I manage it, so no reliance on anyone else :)

    Alan [feeling smug!!]

    1. Adam 52 Silver badge

      Re: Do your own - it's safer

      Really? You have your own cable laid? And your own connection at LINX? And your own power station? Duplicated in case of fault. And your own oil refinery for that power station? Wow!

      1. Ken Moorhouse Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: Do your own - it's safer

        You should have gone boozing with Keef this afternoon, then you might be a touch less tetchy.

      2. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

        Re: Do your own - it's safer

        "Really?"

        If his Synology box is in house he wouldn't be affected by loss of an internet connection and power loss is neutral: if he lost that it wouldn't matter whether cloud storage was up or not because the rest of his office facilities would have been taken out.

        1. Adam 52 Silver badge

          Re: Do your own - it's safer

          Then it's not doing what Google Drive does; multi site resilience, global access and real-time sync.

          Compare apples and apples.

          1. Jakester

            Re: Do your own - it's safer

            Multi site resilence, global access and real-time sync are worthless if Google has a problem with your data or your local internet access is down. It is hard to beat multiple on-site backups paired with an off-site backup. One company I provide guidance insisted on putting a critical application "in the cloud" (no option for local backups or local cloud service). In the last year, that application was down two times for an entire day each time because of an issue with the cloud service servers.

            In the last 20 years with all local servers, they were down for one day to deal with a ransomware attack that came in through an e-mail attachment. Most of that time was to ensure that none of the other computers and servers on the local network were infected with the ransomware.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: comment by Adam 52

        Well, in my case I do have a power station. It is called the Sun. Like an increasing number of people, I have some PV Panels on my roof (2.4KWh). I also have a Battery system 34KWh. This is primarily used to charge my car (Nissan Leaf) but has plenty of electrons to spare. Even today with the heavy overcast skies the battery is being charged.

        Like many, I have my own LAN (three different VLANS) and my QNAP NAS is backed up another system (SYNOLOGY) that is located 60ft away in my Garage, using 2x 1GB Ethernet Links burried 5ft down and separate from the power feed.

        so yes, doing it myself is safer.

        Many El Reg readers (including you perhaps) could too if they wanted to.

    2. rmason

      Re: Do your own - it's safer

      @Alan Sharkey

      I love my Synology NAS. :)

      Still use google drive and note that it's working though.

      No issue though, right? I mean how often do you need access to your 3rd or even 4th level of backups for not really essential data? ;)

      1. G2

        Re: Do your own - it's safer

        @rmason

        Synology? have you even READ their EULA? Their management software and firmware can come with "audit" spyware built-in and it's written right there in the EULA that you have to agree to when you first configure the NAS. Their software = agent authorized by Synology. The built-in remote kill switch is also covered by the EULA.

        https://www.synology.com/en-global/company/legal/terms_EULA

        Section 7. Audit. Synology will have the right to audit your compliance with the terms of this EULA. You agree to grant Synology a right to access to your facilities, equipment, books, records and documents and to otherwise reasonably cooperate with Synology in order to facilitate any such audit by Synology or its agent authorized by Synology.

        Section 15. Termination. Without prejudice to any other rights, Synology may terminate this EULA if you do not abide by the terms and conditions contained herein. In such event, you must cease use of the Software and destroy all copies of the Software and all of its component parts.

        "component parts" = your data. it's a component part of the NAS.

  9. G2

    video streaming coming to Google Drive for organizations

    just saw one of the key features of the new tool

    Stream files on demand

    since Youtube was given a facelift recently, that video streaming feature in Drive will probably have a similar interface to the new Youtube.

    https://support.google.com/a/answer/7491633

    1. jelabarre59

      Re: video streaming coming to Google Drive for organizations

      since Youtube was given a facelift recently, that video streaming feature in Drive will probably have a similar interface to the new Youtube.

      You mean the YT interface that loads a white page with a blank black rectangle for the video, and takes another minute or two to decide to load more of the page? Yeah, not excited about that prospect.

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