Google Drive good place to store software for downloading if it is marked share

[bigpup]

Google Drive is requiring you to log in, before you can get access to software stored on it.

If you do not do this.

It will not show anything but it's log in screen.

Example:
Several people have posted links to software that they stored on Google Drive.
If I click on the link.
All I get is the Google Drive log in screen.
I do not have or want a Google Drive log in and account with them.

Update:
This is caused by not having the software in a location marked as shared.
Shard allows others to access it, without having to log on to Google Drive.

Here is a how-to for marking the software storage directory(folder) as shared.
viewtopic.php?t=11382

[fredx181]

Several people have posted links to software that they stored on Google Drive.
If I click on the link.
All I get is the Google Drive log in screen.

I've seen that once too (needed to login) but it's not general, the link from here opens for me without login:
viewtopic.php?p=81251#p81251
Also a share from me sometime ago:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/ ... 0WgUDykH7b
You get login screen with these ?

EDIT: it may depend on if someone sharing has marked the file or folder as shared.

[mikewalsh]

@bigpup :-

(Deleted violated terms of this forum)

I don't use the Google drive very much these days anyway. It's now mostly older stuff, that not many people want any longer. I MAY need to start deleting stuff in any case, because I haven't got a lot of free space left there now.

(deleted) I've started putting more items into my other cloud-hosting a/cs in recent months. I'm aware some people don't want anything to do with Google, and that's their prerogative. But most free hosting has limits, and I have to juggle stuff around like crazy sometimes to get things in....)

(deleted)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As for the log-in requirement.....you can lay that squarely at Google's feet. They now insist that every access attempt be double-confirmed with 2FA. No exceptions. Whether the enabled 2FA access permission then carries over into a public share link, I really couldn't say...

I've had a Google a/c almost since day one. When I joined a decade ago, I discovered - by accident! - that I'd had a Drive a/c all that time. It seemed silly NOT to use it.....though a decade ago, access permissions WERE a lot less strict.

Mike.

[fredx181]

No, I'm not in a very good mood this morning.

That's very obvious ! (anyway you informed us, that's good )
I think bigpup is only saying that it is no good if you need to login to download something (on whatever website, cloud service), for example I have no Mega account and still I can download your shares on Mega without logging in, that's how it's supposed to be.

EDIT: When you are in a better mood, can you try the links from my previous post ?, without being logged in on Google of course.

[mikewalsh]

@fredx181 :-

Never had any problems accessing your stuff, Fred.....whether I'm logged-in or not. Might be a geographical thing, why bigpup is having issues. I really couldn't say. I do know he's not the first to mention it, which is partly why I started utilising the other two cloud a/cs more...

(*shrug...*)

Mike.

[Wiz57]

Perhaps a less confrontational method, instead of denigrating someone's chosen service, would be to contact them directly and tell them of problems you are havng downloading something from their service, perhaps make suggestions as to sharing preferences that their service may have that are not the same as others??
Just a suggestion. The few times I've shared anything I have to make sure I upload them to my "public share" folder which I then can allow almost anyone to access.
Wiz

[PipzDex]

Hi
My comment comes about the way to share from Google Drive...
I realized that the "syntax" or the link differs depending on how you carry out the process to generate this free link without login access, there are two ways to generate the link but only the one that is generated from the window that opens when you click " share" creates a link with the ending "sharing", if you create it from the copy link option, it gives you another different option and that is where the problem generally lies, I must be frank that at the moment I have not had problems downloading files since normally I always I am active in the Google session...

This is the first example and its result (OPTION 1)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rT-aB0 ... sp=sharing

This is the second example and its result (OPTION 2)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rT-aB0 ... drive_link

This is the same file, the same location, just generate the link in the two ways mentioned

As you can see, both links have different endings, the first and the one that has always worked without problems for me has this "sharing" ending, while the second differs and I could almost guarantee that this is precisely the root of the problem mentioned.

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[fredx181]

For info: Both download links from @PipzDex above work for me (without being logged in).

[mikewalsh]

For info: Both download links from @PipzDex above work for me (without being logged in).

Yes, they work fine for me, logged-in or not.

@Wiz57 :-

Now I'm in a better mood (the sciatica is giving me hell this morning; makes me short-tempered, I'm afraid ), I doubt bigpup was having a go at me personally.....probably more in the way of a general observation. Many here use Google Drive a/cs for sharing; it would be kind of impractical to PM every member individually and suggest they change providers, or whatever is needed.

But I have noticed that most folks with access issues seem to live on your side of The Pond. Very rarely does anybody this side have downloading issues with the Drive.....or if they DO, it never gets reported. I dunno; "me no expert", y'know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For general info - I've never had any complaints with the Texas-based MediaFire. The one time I had access issues, they were very good, and went out of their way to help. I'd recommend them to anyone.

They do keep trying to gently nudge me into a paid a/c, but they're only looking out for themselves.....and you cannot blame them for that. They're not "aggressive" about it.....and it's certainly not a crime.

Mike.

[Wiz57]

For info: Both download links from @PipzDex above work for me (without being logged in).

Yes, they work fine for me, logged-in or not.

@Wiz57 :-

Now I'm in a better mood (the sciatica is giving me hell this morning; makes me short-tempered, I'm afraid ), I doubt bigpup was having a go at me personally.....probably more in the way of a general observation. Many here use Google Drive a/cs for sharing; it would be kind of impractical to PM every member individually and suggest they change providers, or whatever is needed.

But I have noticed that most folks with access issues seem to live on your side of The Pond. Very rarely does anybody this side have downloading issues with the Drive.....or if they DO, it never gets reported. I dunno; "me no expert", y'know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For general info - I've never had any complaints with the Texas-based MediaFire. The one time I had access issues, they were very good, and went out of their way to help. I'd recommend them to anyone.

They do keep trying to gently nudge me into a paid a/c, but they're only looking out for themselves.....and you cannot blame them for that. They're not "aggressive" about it.....and it's certainly not a crime.

Mike.

Maybe not by PM, but perhaps a reply to the topic offering the download, with some detail as to "I clicked on this and here's what I see", then the OP will hopefully realize they have something askew on their service or link.
MediaFire...yep, I've heard of it! Though haven't used it I had a good friend that lived in Houston TX that used it all the time. Unfortunately, he passed away some 6 years ago from a sudden heart attack. He lived alone most of the time, I'd visit when Mrs. Wiz and I would go to Houston to see her sister and bro-in-law. We kept in touch til he passed, mostly playing Legend of the Red Dragon at an old BBS. Yeah, I'm old, LOL!

[bigpup]

Yes, the example links, setup for sharing, work for me too.

It seems that this issue is controlled by sharing settings for the software being offered on Google Drive.

If I understand it.

If you put something on Google Drive and do whatever in settings to mark it as shareable.
Then it will be available to anyone without having to log in to Google Drive.

Please, can one of you that really understands this sharing stuff on Google Drive.

Make a topic about Google Drive and using it to store software you offer on this forum.

How to make the software accessible to all and not require logging into Google Drive to access it.

Thanks!!

I suggest making the topic in:
Board index Advanced Topics Additional Software (PETs, n' stuff) Package Collections/Repositories
Google Drive is being used as a repository.
.
Could place it in How-To section maybe under file management

If we can get this correct way to use Google drive topic.
I will edit the subject of this topic and put a link to this correct way topic in the first post.

[fredx181]

....
If you put something on Google Drive and do whatever in settings to mark it as shareable.
Then it will be available to anyone without having to log in to Google Drive.

Please, can one of you that really understands this sharing stuff on Google Drive.

Make a topic about Google Drive and using it to store software you offer on this forum.

How to make the software accessible to all and not require logging into Google Drive to access it.
...

viewtopic.php?p=118215#p118215
(rather minimal, hopefully it's clear enough)
edit: please move to a possibly better section.