Can I install multiple SkyDrive apps on my desktop?

[De: http://askludwig.com/2012/06/02/can-i-install-multiple-skydrive-apps-on-my-desktop/]

The short answer is “no, you can’t”, but the longer answer is, “there is a way”.

If you have two Microsoft accounts (Windows Live IDs), you have a SkyDrive for each. The SkyDrive app on the desktop makes managing the files and folders in the SkyDrive as easy as any other folder. So you might want to have access to both right on your desktop.

You cannot install the SkyDrive app multiple times on the desktop, that simply does not work. There is a work-around, however, and once established, works just as you expect – two folders on the desktop, each accessing its own SkyDrive. Not only that, both get synchronized automatically.

Here is the how to install two separate SkyDrive folders on your desktop. Assumed here is that the computer is running Windows 7.

• Create a user account on your computer for the second Microsoft account. In this article I will call the original user “user 1” and new user “user 2” and the SkyDrive belonging to that user SkyDrive 2. User 2 can be a “Standard user” (and really should be).
• Switch to user 2. Start > power ►> Switch user
• Start Internet Explorer, sign in with theuser 2 credentials. Click SkyDrive in top menu.
• Click Get SkyDrive apps (navigation pane, bottom). Follow through and download and install the SkyDrive app.
• Switch back to user 1.
• Open Windows Explorer. Navigate to Local Disk > Users >user 2. This is the default location where the local SkyDrive folder is located.
• Right-click on the SkyDrive folder listing. Click on Send to in the drop-down menu and click Desktop (create shortcut).

That’s it. You now have a desktop shortcut to SkyDrive 2, the one foruser 2.

Note that I did not ask you to log out either user. So long as both users are logged in on your computer the synchronizing of the SkyDrive folders will proceed for both. Keep in mind that downloading and especially uploading of files takes considerable time as determined by your Internet connection.

Both folders will be accessible, of course, at all times, including when the Internet connection is not available. Synchronization will resume when the Internet connection is reestablished.