Sites for sharing big files

[Strangefox]

Could you tell me what are the best sites to share big files with somebody? I mean, I know that there are sites where you can upload a music file or a video that you want to send to your friend but can't because they are too big. But I don't know which sites are better. And another thing: can I upload my file in such a manner that only me and my friend to whom I will send a link can have access to it?

[newms]

I usually use use sendspace.com (limit 300MB for free use) or dropbox.com (very recommended for storing your important documents so that they can be synched across multiple computers). There are lots more websites out there that allow you to share large files. With sendspace you have to know the link in order to download the file, so while it's still open, it's very unlikely that some random person would find your file. I think usually with sites like these you have to sign up for a paid account to send a private file to someone else - hopefully someone knows a service that lets you send private files free of cost.

Edited June 22, 2011 by newms

[Strangefox]

Thanks a lot!

Edited June 22, 2011 by Strangefox

[newms]

Thanks a lot!

I missed that part of your question at first, so I edited my response above. I think a lot of these programs require you to sign up for a paid account to use private sharing. However with sendspace, you have to know the link in order to download the file, so its very unlikely that some random person would find your file. A drawback with the sendspace free service is that they have a lot of ads on the download page, so it wouldn't be the best option for sending a file professionally. Maybe someone else knows a service that they can recommend that allows private sharing of large files (hopefully without a cost).

[Argonaute]

A friend of mine recommended LargeDocument and PipeBytes for sharing large files although I have not tried using it. I believe you don't need to sign up for these sites if you don't wish to save the files through their online storage.

[rising_star]

SugarSync will allow you to upload up to 5GB for free (with an account). You can upload files and then get a private link that can be sent to others so that they can access the file(s).