Google Drive File Stream is a desktop application that provides live access to your Google at IU My Drive content in the cloud through Windows Explorer and Mac Finder. With Google Drive File Stream, you can store, edit, and collaborate on files and folders associated with your Google at IU account without using up disk space on your computer. Google Drive File Stream allows you to easily access files stored in your Google drive from campus computer labs or other resources like ArgoApps. What is Google Drive? All UWF Students and Faculty have a Google account which includes access to Gmail, Google Apps, and the ability to store files in their Google Drive.
I am not usually writing in this blog about my experience with software, but today I make an exception to prevent others from making the same bad experience that I had with Google File Stream, the enterprise version of Google Drive / GDrive.
Download chrome 40 offline installer. My research group is using Google File Stream for about 2 years, and since then I had to learn that Google File Stream has one really serious and two annoying bugs.
- Corrupted Files
- High CPU Load
- A never-ending greed for disk space
1. Corrupted Files
One year ago, Google File Stream's Windows client corrupted a file for the first time. I used the Windows client to keep my local files in sync with the cloud, in the same way as e.g. Dropbox' client does.
On that day, I wanted to open an Excel file (.xls)…
… but Excel displayed the message 'The file is corrupt and cannot be opened'.
Interestingly, and luckily, the file was corrupted only on my local computer. I could still access the file online in Google File Stream's web interface.
I could also download the .xls file, and open it locally – as long as I wouldn't store it again in Google Drive. Once I stored/copied/moved the file to Google File Stream's Desktop client, the file was corrupted again.
I renamed the file, stored it in a different GDrive folder, cleared the cache, made it available offline, … I tried everything, but nothing helped (except storing the file outside of GDrive, removing a few rows in the Excel sheet, saving the file, and moving it back to GDrive). Also, all collaborators who had access to the same file, couldn't open it locally. I even had a Skype call with some support staff from Google but he neither couldn't find a solution. Given that it was only a single file where this problem occurred, I ignored this problem and continued to work with Google File Stream.
However, continuing to use Google File Stream was a mistake. Today, I just realized that a large number of PDF files is corrupted in Google Drive (not all though). And, even worse, it is not only PDF files but some MS Word documents are corrupt as well as my Adobe Lightroom catalogue (.lrcat), i.e. the file that has all information (ratings, metadata, …) about all the photos that I took in the past 15 years.
When I try to open one of the corrupted PDF files…
… the PDF reader shows an error message. I tested it with Adobe Reader ('There was an error opening this document. The file is damaged and could not be repaired') …
… Foxit Reader ('Format error: Not a PDF or corrupted') …
… and with PDF-XChange Editor ('Can't open the document […] Error [PXCLib]: Required value not found').
As before, I can still access the file through Google File Stream's web interface:
Similarly, when opening my catalogue with Adobe Lightroom, an error message occurs.
And, when I try to open one of the corrupted MS Word files, this message appears ('Word found unreadable content in 'FileName'. Do you want to recover the contents of this document?'
And again, whatever I try (delete cache; make files available offline; rename the file; …), nothing helps, but downloading the file from the web interface and storing it locally on my computer outside of GDrive. Obviously, Google File Stream's Windows client must have some bug that corrupts files. Last year, it was a single .xls file (btw. today that file syncs fine), today it is a number of PDF files, my Lightroom catalogue, some Microsoft Word files and who knows what else (I still have to double check hundreds of files to know for sure as the problem seems only to affect files from the last few months).
At least, there is a simple way to identify broken PDF files. In Windows Explorer, you just need to search for .pdf , which will list all PDF files. Then you need to change to thumbnail view and all PDFs that are not having a proper thumbnail but only the PDF icon, are corrupt.
How to check whether there are other corrupt files… I have no idea yet.
Update 2019-08-05: I bought a new computer (previously Lenovo, now DELL both with Windows 10 Professional) and the sync works fine now. The files that were (and still are) corrupted on my old Lenovo PC are fine on the new DELL machine. Anyway, I also just signed up for both Microsoft Onedrive and Dropbox to test, which of the two to use in the future.
2. High CPU Load
The corrupted files certainly are the most serious problem. However, there is another annoying problem with Google File Stream and that is a constantly high CPU load. During synchronization, Google Drive uses almost 60% of my CPU. Acrobat pro mac download.
Even without an internet connection, and hence no need to sync, Google File Stream's Windows client uses 6.5% of my CPU.
That means that I always need to remember to manually pause synchronisation when I am working on the train, plane or in a long meeting. Otherwise, my battery will be out of charge pretty fast.
3. Greedy for Disk Space
Last, but not least, Google File Stream takes all of my disk space as it does not clear its cache automatically. It seems that whenever I open a file, that is not stored on my computer but only in the cloud, Google is caching the file locally. As a consequence, every couple of months, my hard disk is full.
When this happens, the Google Cache Folder typically has the size of a few dozens of Gigabytes.
The only solution is to manually delete the cache, which also means, I need to sign in again to GDrive and do a few other things to get it running.
Summary
In general, I am a happy user of many of Google's products (Gmail, Maps, Search, Analytics, Adsense, …). However, Google File Stream is simply horrible, and it's not even free. For me, it's time to say ‘goodbye' to Google File Stream and return either to Dropbox or Microsoft Onedrive.
Every new technology has its advantages and disadvantages. There are only some that work flawlessly without any fault. There may be some problem or another with every new launch. There are some issues with people reporting thatGoogle Drive file stream not syncing. It is a common problem faced by many individuals who have reported it a number of times. There are simple solutions to this issue. All the recommended steps have been described in this post when users face an issue like google drive file stream not showing up. These are simple methods that can be implemented by any user. Follow them precisely to avoid data loss.
‘I have just configured my PC to the latest version of Google products. I had meant to do that for quite some time. It is a difficult procedure for me as I am a non-technical person but I managed somehow. But now I having trouble with the syncing of files. I am not able to access some of them properly as Gdrive file stream not responding. Now, I find myself looking for ways to fix Google Drive file stream not syncing. There are no proper solutions advised. Could you help me with this problem?'
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Quick Glance at Google Drive File Streaming
This is the newer version of file syncing with server data. It is a desktop application to quickly access the drive data on demand. With this, all the documents are available on the computer and save some storage space on the system. Any changes made will be automatically saved to the cloud. This may help solve many of the Google Drive sync issues like google drive file stream not working. It can be configured in the following manner:
- First, uninstall the drive from the Windows PC. This will stop the syncing process from GDrive. Make sure to remove all the files completely before moving forward.
- Then, open up Google Drive in Chrome and verify that all the files in GDrive are present and current.
- Then, delete the files in the folder on the PC. This will free space on the computer.
- Then, install Google File Stream on Windows or Mac PC.
- Now, access all the files on the computer.
Steps to Solve Google Drive File Stream Not Syncing
There are simple instructions to resolve this problem when google drive file stream not responding. Here are those listed in a precise manner:
Solution#1 Upgrade File Streaming Service
It is a simple technique that works all the time. A user can request for some settings to be configured so that syncing to the drive can be made a lot easier. This can be helpful to fix Google Drive Sync issues. It is a useful method and a straightforward one.
Solution#2 Remove Old Upgrade Version
There are problems that arise when a recent upgrade has been downloaded from the server. The version may be incompatible with the Windows operating system or some other difficulty. Try to remove the previous or old version and use the newer one. Or remove the latest pack and use the existing version. Check if the Google Drive file stream issues have been resolved.
Solution#3 Save Google File Stream Files Offline
While using Google Drive File Stream, the files are stored within a separate virtual network volume & is downloaded on-demand. This allows users to access data when not connected to the internet. This is the reason when ussualy find issues like There are simple steps to perform this method. It allows an individual to save the files locally on the computer. Here are the instructions for the said procedure:
- First, go to Google Drive File Stream drive from the left panel on a folder explorer window.
- Then, launch any of the displayed folder and list all the stored files in the drive.
- Then, right-click on any of the file or folder and select Drive File Stream>>Available Offline.
Conclusion
The brand designs new products every few days. It is impossible to keep track of all this technology and fix it simply by personal knowledge alone. Even technical professionals search for solutions online in blogs and forums. There are ways to solve Google Drive file stream not syncing issue. It is quite easy to implement and solve the issue drive file stream not working. It is a simple method and no major technical expertise is required. It can be performed by any professional, IT expert or regular user. All the necessary instructions have been mentioned in this post. Read carefully to avoid data loss.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I restart Google Drive File Stream ?Google Drive File Stream Download
1. Click on the Start button on Windows machine
2. After that, look for the 'Google Drive File Stream' or 'Drive File Stream' program
3. Then, click on the Program
4. Here, you need to wait for 20 seconds as Google Drive File Stream will reload to let again have access to your files.
Yes, if you install Google Drive on several machines, it is possible to sync 'Google Drive' folder of same account across multiple computers.
What is Google Drive file stream?It is a new version to sync files with server data. It is a desktop-based application to access Google Drive data on demand. Any changes made locally on machine will get updated automatically on the cloud.
Google Drive File Stream Not Syncing
How to overcome Google Drive file streaming not syncing issue?1. Upgrade File Streaming Service
2. Delete Old Upgrade Version
4. Download Google File Stream Files Offline
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