Google Drive goes down for many users

Google's status page showed a service disruption for the online storage site that left many people unable to 

access their online files this morning.

Google Drive is offline for many users.

(Credit: Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET)

Google Drive was having some hiccups earlier today but apparently has since recovered.
The online file storage site had been inaccessible for a large number of users today. On its status page, Google initially said that it's "investigating reports of an issue with Google Drive" as of 7:17 a.m. PT and that it will "provide more information shortly."
A second update on the status page offered a bit more information:

We're aware of a problem with Google Drive affecting a significant subset of users. The affected users are unable to access Google Drive. We will provide an update by 3/18/13 12:10 PM detailing when we expect to resolve the problem. Please note that this resolution time is an estimate and may change.

The latest update at 9:35 a.m. PT indicates that the problem has, or at least "should be," fixed:

The problem with Google Drive should be resolved. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and continued support. Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better. If you are still experiencing an issue, please contact us via the Google Help Center.

Isitdownrightnow.com, which tracks the availability of Web sites, also showed that Google Drive had been down for some time, but now points to the site as back online. Comments from users on Isitdownrightnow.com indicated that the problem was widespread but not universal.
A few of the commenters said the service was up and running for them. But many more across the United States and Europe had said it was inaccessible.