IT Technology: Free TeraBytes ( TB ) Cloud Storage

Absolutely free Terabytes cloud storage for you to grab. These are Chinese/Pacific Rim based companies so if that bothers you, you haven't heard of the NSA. With the USA having given up the last breath of honest governance there is no disadvantage in embracing the Chinese cloud storage give away. Understand that if your data is of the type that it might ruffle the feathers of governance it is best to have that data in a country that you do not reside.  And, of course, you can always encrypt before uploading. 

For those of you concerned about installing the PC client and mobile device software I have noticed that removing the software from my phone and/or computer once it has been downloaded, installed and used to sign in to my account does not reduce my increased cloud storage capacity.

Of note, according to the translations the Chinese think of it, not as a "cloud", but as a "network drive".  Get it free while you can...

What follows is a quick synopsis of three cloud solutions.


Baidu (2TB)

Baidu offers 2TB free for life ... but only after one downloads, installs and signs into their phone app.  After that one must still claim the 2000GB.  Unfortunately the website, the desktop client nor the apps are offered in English.  That will change soon.

Here is the best guide I've seen to your 2000GB of Baidu cloud storage. 

Of note, Baidu seems to be the only player of the three in this covered in this post that currently offers uploading via torrent and streaming of your movies. 

Also to be noted is the fact that while I have claimed my 2TB from Baidu I have not used this network storage offering much as I find the interface a bit cluttered.


Weiyun (Tencent) (10TB)

Although I have never been exposed to them until now, Tencent is apparently a huge tech company in SE Asia, like one of the top 5 in the world. That size allows Tencent (like Mega) to store data in multiple countries, not just China.  There is some confidence to be had in that.

One may upload file no larger than 4GB unless one engages the "power upload plugin" at which point the max. file size increases to 32GB.

Here are the steps required to get your 10TB

1. Register in the QQ service
2. Install Tencent Cloud app for your smartphone. Login with the data from step 1.
3. Click “Get 10TB”.
4. And don't forget to use the  English version of  Tencent's web offering.

Qihoo 360 (36TB)

Qihoo360 is currently the MacDaddy of cloud storage with 36TB.   To get hold of all 36TB, you must download the PC client & the Android or iOS app.  Downloading and signing in to the phone app alone will net you 26TB but if you choose to download and sign in the PC client you will get another 10TB which gets you to 36,000GB

 That's a lot of storage but it does not stop there.  If one signs in each day and clicks on the drawing one gets the chance to increase their storage quota by  around 1/4GB to around 7GB.  Over 30 days this netted me nearly 50GB ... not that I really needed it. Not only is there this game play, but there is another which nets me an additional 150gig/day and up. My understanding is that 360 maxes out at 150TB.

Unfortunately Qihoo is still displayed in Chinese as are the apps and the PC client.  That will change soon, though.  Patience.

For those of you cautious about installing the PC client, I flipped steps 5 and 6 choosing to only to install the mobile device software and get the 26TB for my wife's account.  She was, however,  disturbed by the related Chinese notifications so I later removed that software from her phone incurring no penalty in the process.

Here are the steps required to get your 36TB

1. Go to http://huodong.yunpan.360.cn/xt and click the orange button.
2. In the popup window, click the text near the bottom right corner to Register a new account.
3. Then enter your email address and your password twice.
4. Get 10TB-- Now go to http://huodong.yunpan.360.cn/xt to download the PC software (labeled 1), sign in with your account from steps 1 and 2 above and then go back to http://huodong.yunpan.360.cn/xt to claim your 10TB by clicking the orange button.
5. Get 26TB-- Now repeat step number 4 but download your phone app (the QR code helps to get your phone to the right place), sign in with your phone and then claim your 26TB

Reference:
1TB?, 2TB?, 10TB, 36TB? How Many TB of Cloud Storage Space do You Need? Tencent, Yunio, Baidu, 360 and BTSync...
http://polifrogblog.blogspot.com/2014/01/1tb-2tb-10tb-36tb-how-many-tb-of-cloud.html