Cyberclinic: How can I share large files with my friends?

Internet service providers impose strict limits on the size of files you can send via e-mail. But there are better options for getting files from A to B. Most ISPs set the size limit for outgoing e-mails at about 10Mb - which can exclude high-quality image files, or even two MP3 files in one go. It's hard to blame the ISPs for setting these limits; e-mail was never really intended for transferring large quantities of data, and their servers quickly become clogged - especially if the file is being sent to multiple destinations. And, as Helen Burgess wrote in to point out: "There's nothing more irritating than being on dial-up and being prevented from getting at your e-mail because someone's sent you a 9Mb attachment containing a movie of their dog."

The old way to get round this was to use FTP (uploading the file to your own website and sending the recipient the address to download it from) but not everyone has their own webspace, and it's far from secure. Or you could burn a CD of the file and pop it in the post, which seems ridiculous in this broadband age.

Fortunately, dozens of online file-hosting services have emerged that eliminate the problem. "Yousendit.com is one of the best choices," writes Steve Albone. "Their free option allows you to securely send someone a file of up to 100Mb; it'll be available for seven days and can be downloaded 50 times, so if you want to allow others to access it, you can e-mail them the link too." Competitors include Rapidshare.com (100Mb limit, 45-day availability); Badongo.com (1,000Mb/30 days); and Megaupload.com (500Mb/21 days).

Many of these services, however, are blighted by annoying verification processes and pop-up adverts - sometimes coupled with waiting times of up to three or four minutes. But they are changing our habits. Ed Johnson notes that they seem to be leading to the death of the blank CD: "I used to get through so many, and in the last year I've probably only burned about four. I just use file-hosting instead."

Many of these services are also exploiting their suitability for backup storage and file sharing. Dropsend.com offers file transfer with permanent online storage across a range of price plans. Sites such as tubesnow.com and multiply.com add social networking to the mix, encouraging you to share files with friends and family. Multiply.com's offer of unlimited free storage is particularly enticing, but it'll be interesting to see how it deals with the inevitable problem of widespread music and video piracy.

Diagnosis required

Next week's question is from Steve Horsham: "Now that Google has introduced its free Google Docs and Google Spreadsheets services, does this spell the end for Microsoft Word and Excel?" Any comments, and new questions for the Cyberclinic, should be e-mailed to cyberclinic@independent.co.uk