If you use MobileMe, then you have an iDisk. It is a virtual hard drive on the Internet that you can use to store files and share them with others. Learn the basics of using your iDisk.
Comments: 8 Responses to “MacMost Now 323: MobileMe iDisk Basics”
Cheryl A. Clements
14 years ago
Hi Gary,
Thank you for the tutorial. I have, what might be, a very simple question. How do the files get into idisk. Every one speaks to how to see the files once they are in the iDisk but I can't find anything on how to get them there. Now, I am assuming that the old drag and drop will work but, if you have files that you constantly update and would want the most updated copy to be available do you have to upload new copies to iDisk, can iDisk update from other files, can it reach to files in your "normal" folders, etc.
Drag and drop, right. But you are talking about having two copies of the file, one of you local hard disk and one on iDisk, and then constantly replacing the iDisk one with a new copy. That's the old way of thinking. Just have one copy of the file: the one on iDisk. Treat your iDisk as a folder on your local hard drive and forget that it is actually "in the cloud."
John r
14 years ago
If you just store files in iDisk , are there any issues with backing up to a external hard drive? I may need access to an historic backup ..not current
Unfortunately, Time Machine does not back up the contents of your iDisk. So you would need to periodically make a copy of the document on your local drive and let that copy be backed up.
Kristy Fraser-Kirk
13 years ago
How do I search for files in my idisk? This is really frustrating - I drag and drop files into idisk at home, then get to work and can't find them amidst the other files! I can't believe apple don't have this most-basic of functions!
Sure you can do this. But it is slow -- after all, the files exist over the network and network speed is a tiny fraction of hard disk speed.
Just open up a finder window with your iDisk. Best to narrow it down as best you can, so instead of your whole iDisk, perhaps go into your Document folder on your iDisk or something as close as you can get.
Type a search term in the search field at the top of the Finder window.
Then, it will probably start with the search area set as "This Mac." Change it immediately to "Documents" (or whatever the folder name on your iDisk that you were just looking at).
Searching by File Name is also faster than by Contents. And it seems that iDisk searches by name have to be starting with the first part of the name or a word in the name. So a file called Speech.txt won't show up in a search for "peech" but will show up for "Spe".
Kristy Fraser-kirk
13 years ago
At work, I'm either using a PC or my iPad, so i'm accessing iDisk via it's web interface or via the iPad app respectively... I don't kmow how to search for files in this context?
Hi Gary,
Thank you for the tutorial. I have, what might be, a very simple question. How do the files get into idisk. Every one speaks to how to see the files once they are in the iDisk but I can't find anything on how to get them there. Now, I am assuming that the old drag and drop will work but, if you have files that you constantly update and would want the most updated copy to be available do you have to upload new copies to iDisk, can iDisk update from other files, can it reach to files in your "normal" folders, etc.
Thank you!
Drag and drop, right. But you are talking about having two copies of the file, one of you local hard disk and one on iDisk, and then constantly replacing the iDisk one with a new copy. That's the old way of thinking. Just have one copy of the file: the one on iDisk. Treat your iDisk as a folder on your local hard drive and forget that it is actually "in the cloud."
If you just store files in iDisk , are there any issues with backing up to a external hard drive? I may need access to an historic backup ..not current
Unfortunately, Time Machine does not back up the contents of your iDisk. So you would need to periodically make a copy of the document on your local drive and let that copy be backed up.
How do I search for files in my idisk? This is really frustrating - I drag and drop files into idisk at home, then get to work and can't find them amidst the other files! I can't believe apple don't have this most-basic of functions!
Sure you can do this. But it is slow -- after all, the files exist over the network and network speed is a tiny fraction of hard disk speed.
Just open up a finder window with your iDisk. Best to narrow it down as best you can, so instead of your whole iDisk, perhaps go into your Document folder on your iDisk or something as close as you can get.
Type a search term in the search field at the top of the Finder window.
Then, it will probably start with the search area set as "This Mac." Change it immediately to "Documents" (or whatever the folder name on your iDisk that you were just looking at).
Searching by File Name is also faster than by Contents. And it seems that iDisk searches by name have to be starting with the first part of the name or a word in the name. So a file called Speech.txt won't show up in a search for "peech" but will show up for "Spe".
At work, I'm either using a PC or my iPad, so i'm accessing iDisk via it's web interface or via the iPad app respectively... I don't kmow how to search for files in this context?
I don't thunk there is any way to search for files in iDisk using the web interface or the iPad app.