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Here's a scenario that happens more often than it should: a teacher's laptop dies. Everything on the hard drive - lesson plans built over years, grade records, parent communication logs - is gone. No backup. No recovery. K12 Montana has seen this play out in Montana schools, and it's entirely preventable.
Google Drive for Desktop solves this problem. When set up correctly, it continuously syncs the folders on your computer to the cloud. If your computer dies tomorrow, everything is safe.
Setting Up Google Drive for Desktop
Click the Start button, type Google Drive, and open the app. Click Get Started, then Sign in using your school email. You may be routed through a Microsoft Edge window - if prompted to bring over Edge data, click Start without your data.
Sign in with your school email and password. If prompted for 2FA, use your authenticator app or text code. Once signed in, you'll see a welcome screen. Click Next.
Choosing Folders to Sync
Google Drive will ask which folders on your computer you want backed up. Check all the boxes - Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures. If you have important files in other locations, click Add Folder and select those too. Click Next, then Got it.
Setting Files to Stream
Click the Google Drive icon in your system tray (bottom right corner of the taskbar). Click the gear icon, then Preferences. Go to the Google Drive tab on the left and select Stream files. Click Continue, then Save, then Restart.
With streaming enabled, your Drive files appear in File Explorer without taking up space on your hard drive.
Verifying Everything Is Syncing
Open Google Drive in Chrome. In the left sidebar, scroll down to Computers, then My laptop. You'll see all the folders you synced. Give it time if you're syncing a lot of files for the first time.
Want peace of mind that your district's files are backed up and protected? K12 Montana Inc. helps Montana schools set up cloud backup and recovery strategies. Contact us to get started.