SkyDrive Explorer Software
Windows Live SkyDrive is part of Microsoft’s Windows Live range of online services. SkyDrive Explorer is a third
party, file storage and sharing explorer plug-in that allows students to upload multiple files to Microsoft’s
Skydrive computing cloud, then access them from a web browser. It uses the users Windows Live ID to control
access to the files.
Go to the following website to download the software: http://www.cloudstorageexplorer.com/download.php
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Scroll down and click the download button for SDExplorer 2.1 (Free Version, the 2nd option on the page)
Click Save
After the software downloads, double-click the SkyDrive Explorer 2.1 executable in the download list and
the installation wizard will begin.
Click Next.
Accept agreement, click Next.
Accept the default folder of “program files” by just clicking the Next button.
SkyDrive Explorer is ready to install. In the screenshot above you can start the actual installation by clicking on the
Install button. The screenshot below shows the installation progress.
One of the final steps of the SkyDrive Explorer installation is a check if a newer update of SkyDrive Explorer is
available. (Recommended)
The final step of the installation process consists of hitting the finish button, which is shown in the screenshot
above. You might remark the checked default option “view read me txt”, that opens up the readme file upon
finishing the installation with some helpful usage information.
This readme provides a short product description and gives a short overview of features and functionality.
Using SkyDrive Explorer
The starting point is the SkyDrive Explorer icon, which you can find in the Computer overview of Windows
Explorer. In the screenshot above you can see that SkyDrive Explorer is placed under the heading “other”.
To connect to the Windows Live SkyDrive, double click on the SkyDrive Explorer icon. A new window pops up,
which looks almost identical as the Windows Live Messenger sign-in window.
On top of this window you can see the bold text: “Sign in to SkyDrive Explorer“, using your own Windows Live
ID.
With students, the username is their email address and the password is not their PirateNet Password but the
password they used when they setup their email accounts.
When students first come to Seton Hall and click on the outlook icon in Piratenet, it brings them to an account setup
page – which asks them to input their current password (the first four letters of their last name capitalized, the last
four of their social and the # sign)… Then they are required to create a new password and confirm it…
That new password doesn’t get used, however, because since they are logging in to Piratenet – Piratenet logs them in
automatically to their email…
However, in the background reality of the situation, that new password they created is what the system in the
background uses to log them into their live resource accounts – outlook, skydrive, etc…
So, since the SkyDrive Explorer doesn’t tie in with our Piratenet logon system, they have to remember and type in
their newly created passwords to access skydrive from the program…
A connection with Windows Live SkyDrive is established and you will get an pop-up of your Windows Live
SkyDrive. The sreenshot above shows you the kind of landing page after you have signed in, which is the root of
your Windows Live SkyDrive.
Now you can do traditional file transfer of files on your Windows Live SkyDrive, in a more familiar Microsoft
Windows screen.
Limitations of SkyDrive Explorer
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You cannot place files in the top folder
SubFolders have to be created for file storage
Currently, individual Files cannot be more than 50MB in size