When Windows users suddenly discover that their files have vanished from their desktops after interacting with OneDrive, the issue often stems from how Microsoft’s cloud service integrates with the operating system. The automatic, near-invisible shift to cloud-based storage has triggered strong reactions from users who find the feature unintuitive and, in some cases, destructive to their local files.
Happened to me, too. Now I just ignore OneDrive entirely. I don’t think Microsoft understands what cloud storage is supposed to be used for. If I delete something from the cloud, I should still have it locally on my PC. The fact that this isn’t the case means essentially, that OneDrive isn’t actually a cloud service. They’re trying to get you to pay a subscription fee to use your own hard drive. You know, the one you’re already using for free. I wonder why that isn’t taking off? 🤔
This is what made me stop using Google Photos and start self hosting Immich. I lost a video from my house construction that showed where the cables were exactly laid.
onedrive is even more intrusive than google drive.
I still haven’t forgiven google for hijacking the g:/ drive letter. I was using that letter already!
Not that it matters to me anymore since I use Linux now, but still.
I still prefer them hijacking a particular drive letter to Microsoft’s approach of not even using a drive at all
Yes thank you so much Microsoft for making every single employee’s file path different when we’re trying to send each other the location of files, all of them within unnecessary multiple levels at the start (inevitably resulting in file path too long issues) because the default installation is c users user documents OneDrive
this is actually one way that I see which of my new hires actually read the fucking onboarding document and followed the instructions. One of the first steps is “unlink your OneDrive account and set up a OneDrive folder in the root of one of your drives instead” (with actual instructions on how to do that). two out of three new hires without fail will send me a link in their first week that points to c users. It’s a nice litmus test for who is going to be useless and/or a pita
Sorry, that makes no sense to me. These cloud sync apps are setup for mirroring. If you change one side, it’s reflected on the other. This is just user error (or poor UI, lack of explanation on what delete does in the cloud)
But what’s the point of it then?
I guess if you have multiple computers you can access the files from either computers. But for people that just have one computer the whole thing seems kinda useless. And then MS forces people to use this product they have no need for by holding their computer ransom. People don’t want their files on One Drive, they only have it because MS forced it upon them.
This is like forcing a passenger to fly a 747 and then saying “well the plane crashed because of pilot error” and ignoring the fact that someone was forced some to be behind the controls of something they understand against their will.
For a home user, a backup service or just a way to share files actually makes more sense than something that mindlessly syncs file actions, including deletes. One Drive could be useful if it were what people expect it to be. As it is, it’s useless for most people, and bad on them for thinking MS One Drive was a useful product I guess.
If that’s the case, then OneDrive shouldn’t bitch at me about storage limits. What does it want me to do? Delete my shit again?
Don’t point out people are misunderstanding the product, we’re here to shit on the product for anything and everything
To be fair when it’s a product a person didn’t ask for and the OS forced it on them, it’s not unreasonable that they may not understand how it works and make mistakes.
Yeah, you can’t yell at someone to RTFM when they didn’t opt to use the product, and the “manual” is just a barrage of question on a Microsoft support forum where every answer goes to a Microsoft.learn page that hasn’t been updated since 8.1.
It is unreasonable to assume you can delete a file from a sync app’s cloud dashboard and not expect that the deletion would be synced to the device.
I get that OneDrive is a mediocre product that gets forced on end users, but so many people turn their brains off and just try to kill it with fire instead of thinking through their actions before making rash decisions. Deleting it from the OneDrive directory is marginally less rash, but again, people delete files without validating the original is where they thought it was.
Read the article. That is not what is happening.
It is a dark pattern, it is meant to scare or annoy the users into paying a subscription or leave the system as is. There’s exactly one cloud service that deletes all files without warning as soon as it is disabled. There’s only one service that deletes local files without telling the users, there’s only one service that deletes both originals and cloud files when disabled, and it is only OneDrive. Every other service warns users and give grace periods for the users to download their data before deleting the files for good. It is absolutely not the user’s fault.
I wasn’t replying to the post, but the op who stated
It is unreasonable to expect users to understand.
Or read, be it app popups or error messages. Or learn how to use tools that have been in place for years. Or take basic responsibility for their inability or unwillingness to learn and understand.
At some point, saying “it’s unreasonable to expect the user to understand something” is itself unreasonable. Maybe it’s because I’ve been in IT for like 20 years, but I have minimal sympathy for people who choose not to understand the basic utilities that they have to interact with for their jobs that have been in place for a long time. At the very least, you should know how file management works if you’re making files as part of your job, and that you don’t just delete files from your system, especially important business files…
OneDrive is for syncing files across devices. It’s not a backup.
Edit:
Since there seems to be a lot of hate on my comment, allow me to explain.
Backup software has a schedule, it has monitoring, it has alerting (email, SMS, ticket submission, etc), and checksumming. OneDrive frequently just shits the bed for whatever reason, often goes unnoticed in the corner, and users frequently miss it and nobody, not even IT, know. Not to mention it’s riddled with bugs.
Yes, you are copying files from point A to point B but it is not the same. If you rely on onedrive as a “backup” you’re going to be disappointed at some point when you lose your files :)
If you delete a file over here, then it disappears from over there. That’s not a backup. On a real backup, if you delete files or lose them or whatever, you have days/weeks/months to go back on versions to restore.
The problem isn’t one drive’s purpose, it’s that it’s so shoveled into windows that people that have no idea what it is use it accidentally then see files disappearing. It’s unintuitive shovelware with terrible UX, a dreadful combination.
Oh. So it should be called Onesync?
Then it shouldn’t bitch at me about storage limits. Does it expect me to delete my shit again? All I’m hearing is OneDrive is better off being ignored entirely.
I disagree, it can easily be both. I pay for Google drive and don’t have the client on any of my devices except for my phone, and it’s replicated to my NAS. I use as a form of remote backup and not to sync files.
So like syncthing but you have to pay for it and requires a server. Seems useless…
If you want to sync while not all devices are online, just spend 50$ or something and get a RPI and put syncthing on it.
Right, so how many files you have on your laptop do you also need on your phone? How many desktop does Microslop think the average person has? If cloud storage is actually only cloud syncing, is there a market?
Most of them. I use my files across my Windows laptop, desktop, tablet, and Windows 10 Mobile. The syncing allows me to have access no mater what device I am on. Just because you don’t use this feature, does not mean it isn’t useful.
That’s why I asked about the actual files. I know it’s cool to have the ability but really it’s typically only specific files, not every fucking thing you ever opened or saved. And please keep in mind people on Lemmy are not your average user. Most people have a phone and one other device at most