OneDrive confusion

Shortly after installing this Win 10 PC over a year ago I
removed/disabled its default OneDrive. I regarded it as redundant as I
have a Dropbox Pro account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmhz9k150k...led-1.jpg?dl=0

I've belatedly noticed today that I have about 1,500 files (3 GB) in
several hundred largely obscure \OneDrive folders.

I'd appreciate advice on how to decide which, if any, I can delete
please. (They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)

Or should I just leave them alone, on the grounds that some programs may
have been using them and their absence will cause problems? Come to
that, won't there be problems anyway, now that I've this morning set the
options I should have set a year ago?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4oalrpjykv...led-2.jpg?dl=0

Note: I'm wondering if this is related to my post 'Why no CldFlt
service?'.


Terry, East Grinstead, UK

On 8/6/2017 5:40 AM, Terry Pinnell wrote:
Shortly after installing this Win 10 PC over a year ago I
removed/disabled its default OneDrive. I regarded it as redundant as I
have a Dropbox Pro account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmhz9k150k...led-1.jpg?dl=0

I've belatedly noticed today that I have about 1,500 files (3 GB) in
several hundred largely obscure \OneDrive folders.

I'd appreciate advice on how to decide which, if any, I can delete
please. (They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)

Or should I just leave them alone, on the grounds that some programs may
have been using them and their absence will cause problems? Come to
that, won't there be problems anyway, now that I've this morning set the
options I should have set a year ago?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4oalrpjykv...led-2.jpg?dl=0

Note: I'm wondering if this is related to my post 'Why no CldFlt
service?'.


Terry, East Grinstead, UK

It would appear that you are on a road to discovery!

* OneDrive =/= DropBox. Yes, there is some overlap in functionality, but
by and large they have very different purposes.

* Windows uses DropBox in several ways, one of its main usesis to sync
data between devices. Therefore, apps may store their files there by
default.

* Making changes to these settings without full comprehension of their
purpose is risky business.


--
best regards,

Neil

Terry Pinnell wrote:
Shortly after installing this Win 10 PC over a year ago I
removed/disabled its default OneDrive. I regarded it as redundant as I
have a Dropbox Pro account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmhz9k150k...led-1.jpg?dl=0

I've belatedly noticed today that I have about 1,500 files (3 GB) in
several hundred largely obscure \OneDrive folders.

I'd appreciate advice on how to decide which, if any, I can delete
please. (They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)

Or should I just leave them alone, on the grounds that some programs may
have been using them and their absence will cause problems? Come to
that, won't there be problems anyway, now that I've this morning set the
options I should have set a year ago?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4oalrpjykv...led-2.jpg?dl=0

Note: I'm wondering if this is related to my post 'Why no CldFlt
service?'.


Terry, East Grinstead, UK

If you disable it, as you seem to be doing, won't you have "severed"
the link to the OneDrive server ?

Nothing you do on that PC now, will be reflected on the server end.

In the example here, if you "delete" the local OneDrive content
(the part that is "Personal"), then it will be removed on OneDrive,
when you use the web interface on OneDrive and "Empty the trash".

They also have instructions for "Shared" content, as to how to
delete it.

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...3-c99083e6a84f

THere may be more than one version of OneDrive, and it would
not surprise me in the least if the feature set was different...

*******

In this example, someone links in local folders to the OneDrive
local folder, to cause sync and upload of the contents.

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/dev...with-onedrive/

If you didn't do that, I presume OneDrive is a default in
the file save dialog, which makes it easy to drop your fresh saves
into the OneDrive local structure. After which, they'll be
uploaded.

Those files in OneDrive, could be your only copies.

*******

So if you want to do a neat and tidy job, you should save
off the contents of the OneDrive folder, as that folder
may contain "unique files" that you have created locally,
when using the file save dialog. Maybe you can use the web
interface to clean up the server ? And not bother re-wiring
the OneDrive program locally.

If you delete the local OneDrive folder, and OneDrive was still
wired up, then both the local copy, and the server copy
would be removed. The server copy then sitting in the
Recycle Bin on the server, until the correct number of
days have passed, to autodelete it from its Recycle Bin.

It's a good thing I don't use stuff like this :-)
Look at the fun I'm not having.

Paul

On 8/6/2017 8:04 AM, Neil wrote:
On 8/6/2017 5:40 AM, Terry Pinnell wrote:
Shortly after installing this Win 10 PC over a year ago I
removed/disabled its default OneDrive. I regarded it as redundant as I
have a Dropbox Pro account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmhz9k150k...led-1.jpg?dl=0

I've belatedly noticed today that I have about 1,500 files (3 GB) in
several hundred largely obscure \OneDrive folders.

I'd appreciate advice on how to decide which, if any, I can delete
please. (They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)

Or should I just leave them alone, on the grounds that some programs may
have been using them and their absence will cause problems? Come to
that, won't there be problems anyway, now that I've this morning set the
options I should have set a year ago?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4oalrpjykv...led-2.jpg?dl=0

Note: I'm wondering if this is related to my post 'Why no CldFlt
service?'.


Terry, East Grinstead, UK

It would appear that you are on a road to discovery!

* OneDrive =/= DropBox. Yes, there is some overlap in functionality, but
by and large they have very different purposes.

* Windows uses DropBox in several ways, one of its main usesis to sync
data between devices. Therefore, apps may store their files there by
default.

* Making changes to these settings without full comprehension of their
purpose is risky business.


I have a question from this discussion. I have never set up One Drive.
Does Windows 10 use One Drive even though I have never set it up?

Quote: "Windows uses DropBox in several ways,"
I assume this means the use of Windows CAN use Dropbox in several ways,
and not that Windows automatically uses DropBox.

Is that correct?

--
2017: The year we lean to play the great game of Euchre

Keith Nuttle wrote:

Does Windows 10 use One Drive even though I have never set it up?
Do you sign-in with a local computer account, or a Microsoft account?

On 8/6/2017 9:13 AM, Keith Nuttle wrote:
On 8/6/2017 8:04 AM, Neil wrote:
* Windows uses DropBox in several ways, one of its main usesis to sync
data between devices. Therefore, apps may store their files there by
default.

[...]
Quote: "Windows uses DropBox in several ways,"
I assume this means the use of Windows CAN use Dropbox in several ways,
and not that Windows automatically uses DropBox.

Is that correct?

My bad...a pre-coffee post! I meant to write that Windows uses
_OneDrive_ and several ways. AFAIK, Windows doesn't use DropBox by
default in any way.

--
best regards,

Neil

On 8/6/2017 8:04 AM, Neil wrote:
* Windows uses DropBox in several ways,

This should have been "Windows uses OneDrive in several ways"...

--
best regards,

Neil

Paul wrote:

Terry Pinnell wrote:
Shortly after installing this Win 10 PC over a year ago I
removed/disabled its default OneDrive. I regarded it as redundant as I
have a Dropbox Pro account.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mmhz9k150k...led-1.jpg?dl=0

I've belatedly noticed today that I have about 1,500 files (3 GB) in
several hundred largely obscure \OneDrive folders.

I'd appreciate advice on how to decide which, if any, I can delete
please. (They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)

Or should I just leave them alone, on the grounds that some programs may
have been using them and their absence will cause problems? Come to
that, won't there be problems anyway, now that I've this morning set the
options I should have set a year ago?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4oalrpjykv...led-2.jpg?dl=0

Note: I'm wondering if this is related to my post 'Why no CldFlt
service?'.


Terry, East Grinstead, UK



If you disable it, as you seem to be doing, won't you have "severed"
the link to the OneDrive server ?

Yes, which is what I want, providing it has no adverse consequences.

Nothing you do on that PC now, will be reflected on the server end.

Agreed. I'm happy for MS to keep my 1,500 files (3 GB) on their servers
for as long as the rules apply.

In the example here, if you "delete" the local OneDrive content
(the part that is "Personal"), then it will be removed on OneDrive,
when you use the web interface on OneDrive and "Empty the trash".

They also have instructions for "Shared" content, as to how to
delete it.

https://support.office.com/en-us/art...3-c99083e6a84f

THere may be more than one version of OneDrive, and it would
not surprise me in the least if the feature set was different...

*******

In this example, someone links in local folders to the OneDrive
local folder, to cause sync and upload of the contents.

https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/dev...with-onedrive/


If you didn't do that,

I don't.

I presume OneDrive is a default in
the file save dialog, which makes it easy to drop your fresh saves
into the OneDrive local structure. After which, they'll be
uploaded.
Yes, until that option is reversed as shown in my second screenshot
earlier.

Those files in OneDrive, could be your only copies.

I have two other local copies.
"(They are all part of my nightly and weekly backups.)"
Plus the MS servers until they get deleted after a year or whatever

*******

So if you want to do a neat and tidy job,
I do.

you should save
off the contents of the OneDrive folder, as that folder
may contain "unique files" that you have created locally,
when using the file save dialog.

This is the main point of my post, namely what to do with the existing
files, in their present locations. But note that there is not a *single*
'OneDrive' folder to consider, hence my confusion. I assume that all the
references I see to 'the OneDrive' folder possibly mean this one:
C:\Users\terry\OneDrive
That contains 577 Files in 196 Folders (400 MB).

But I also have these:
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\One Drive
153 Files, 117 Folders (43 MB)

C:\Users\terry\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\
380 Files, 134 Folders (155 MB)

TOTAL: 1,111 Files, 451 Folders (598 MB); not 1,500 as estimated earlier
(I double-counted some.)

There's also an empty folder.
C:\Users\Administrator\OneDrive
C:\Users\Administrator\OneDrive (empty).


I'm inclined to leave everything alone for a few days and see if any new
files get created in any of these folders. If not, with tidiness in
mind, I'll probably delete the lot.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK



Maybe you can use the web
interface to clean up the server ? And not bother re-wiring
the OneDrive program locally.

If you delete the local OneDrive folder, and OneDrive was still
wired up, then both the local copy, and the server copy
would be removed. The server copy then sitting in the
Recycle Bin on the server, until the correct number of
days have passed, to autodelete it from its Recycle Bin.

I don't want to get involved with the web-based stuff.

It's a good thing I don't use stuff like this :-)
Look at the fun I'm not having.

Indeed. That was my intention too ;-)

Paul

On 8/6/2017 9:16 AM, Andy Burns wrote:
Keith Nuttle wrote:

Does Windows 10 use One Drive even though I have never set it up?
Do you sign-in with a local computer account, or a Microsoft account?
Local computer account

--
2017: The year we lean to play the great game of Euchre

Terry Pinnell wrote:


This is the main point of my post, namely what to do with the existing
files, in their present locations. But note that there is not a *single*
'OneDrive' folder to consider, hence my confusion. I assume that all the
references I see to 'the OneDrive' folder possibly mean this one:
C:\Users\terry\OneDrive
That contains 577 Files in 196 Folders (400 MB).

But I also have these:
C:\Users\Administrator\AppData\Local\Microsoft\One Drive
153 Files, 117 Folders (43 MB)

C:\Users\terry\AppData\Local\Microsoft\OneDrive\
380 Files, 134 Folders (155 MB)

TOTAL: 1,111 Files, 451 Folders (598 MB); not 1,500 as estimated earlier
(I double-counted some.)

You should review the two Appdata entries. They are
likely to contain multiple install directories for the
OneDrive software.

I think when I ran OneDrive.exe /uninstall or similar,
while CDed into one of the numbered folders in there,
it caused the folder to "empty itself".

So the Appdata portion, may be for the program itself,
while the C:\Users\terry\OneDrive holds the files to be
synced (or whatever).

Have a look around, and maybe you can conclude that
Microsoft only has 400MB of your files :-)

Paul