Let $\mathcal{M}$ be a von Neumann algebra equipped with a faithful normal semi-finite trace $τ$ and let $S_0(τ)$ be the algebra of all $τ$-compact operators affiliated with $\mathcal{M}$. Let $E(τ)\subseteq S_0(τ)$ be a symmetric operator space (on $\mathcal{M}$) and let $\mathcal{E}$ be a symmetrically-normed Banach ideal of $τ$-compact operators in $\mathcal{M}$. We study (i) derivations $δ$ on $\mathcal{M}$ with the range in $E(τ)$ and (ii) derivations on the Banach algebra $\mathcal{E}$. In the first case our main results assert that such derivations are continuous (with respect to the norm topologies) and also inner (under some mild assumptions on $E(τ)$). In the second case we show that any such derivation is necessarily inner when $\mathcal{M}$ is a type $I$ factor. As an interesting application of our results for the case (i) we deduce that any derivation from $\mathcal{M}$ into an $L_p$-space, $L_p(\mathcal{M},τ)$, ($1