OneDrive Synching everything !!

[Novoiceleft]

OMG. I dont know what I have done, and I don't believe I asked it to do this, but ALL my local documents and photos are now synched onto One Drive.

Did this happen during some software update?

ANyway, now my machine seem ridiculously slow.

I have gone into OneDrive and tried to untick the box for synching "Documents" - but it will not let me do it.

No idea how to Undo this.. Any help gratefully received.

NoVoice

[Infrasonic]

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+ ... UTF-8#ip=1

[Novoiceleft]

Thanks - but that's not what I need.

I used to have some selected folders in One drive - but most of my docs/photos etc were on my local PC drive.

Now, its decided to synch absolotely everything, including personal finance stuff etc

So I dont want to turn off Everything. Just the 20GB of Docs and Pictures that started to synch when I turned machine on this morning.

If I go to the One Drive Acoount setting and untick the box for synching Documents, I get a message saying "Cant stop Synching that". Same with Pictures.

Infuriating

NoVoice

[Itsallaguess]

If I go to the One Drive Account setting and untick the box for synching Documents, I get a message saying "Cant stop Synching that". Same with Pictures.

Have a careful read of these two links, as I think they should help -

Onedrive won't let me stop syncing Desktop and Documents -

https://superuser.com/questions/1728621/onedrive-wont-let-me-stop-syncing-desktop-and-documents

On the above question, the following recommended answer gives two possible routes to success - https://superuser.com/a/1728622


Quick Fix for OneDrive Can’t Stop Syncing Folder -

https://www.ubackup.com/articles/onedrive-cant-stop-syncing-folder.html


I think the above two links are more or less providing the same couple of options for you, but the first explanation is fairly concise, and the second contains more detail and some useful One Drive screen-shots of the various configuration-changes, so hopefully there's something of use in there for you.

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[mutantpoodle]

I didnt even know that I had onedrive?

I have followed instructions and unlinked my account...
.does that mean everything it had copied/stored is now deleted?

if not is there a way to ensure that nothing is stored anywhere...if so what and how please

[stevensfo]

I have to admit that Hotmail/Outlook/Office 365 is starting to really annoy me on my Windows 10 laptop.

Every time I save a document, it wants me to save it to OneDrive. A few years ago, I couldn't open a Word doc because I wasn't connected to the internet. Not sure how that happened. For some reason, the desktop doesn't have this problem.

Why can't they accept that we don't all want to upload everything to the cloud, and we don't always want or have an internet connection?

I like to choose what I upload to OneDrive.

Steve

[Infrasonic]

Load of OneDrive tutorials here...https://www.elevenforum.com/tags/onedrive/

In all but the free/basic MS365 offerings you can use the local office apps to work offline, no internet connection needed.
If you want to turn OD completely off or choose which folders it can sync with then that is possible - MS err on the side of caution and make the default settings sync everything.
When you get a W10/11 feature update they will often overwrite some customised settings (registry keys) and go back to the defaults, a PITA but MS think they are being helpful...

Google Docs can be set up to work offline as well, even with the free offering...https://support.google.com/docs/answer/ ... %3DDesktop

[Urbandreamer]

I have to admit that Hotmail/Outlook/Office 365 is starting to really annoy me on my Windows 10 laptop.

Every time I save a document, it wants me to save it to OneDrive. A few years ago, I couldn't open a Word doc because I wasn't connected to the internet. Not sure how that happened. For some reason, the desktop doesn't have this problem.

Why can't they accept that we don't all want to upload everything to the cloud, and we don't always want or have an internet connection?

I like to choose what I upload to OneDrive.

Steve

I'm sorry, but I've heard this sort of complaint since the days of XP and it's only got worse. The answer is that you are wrong for wanting something different than you are given. The attitude is one of many reasons that I prefer Linux, which allows/demands that you configure it to do what you want.

Back then it was options associated with the lid switch on laptops. When MS introduced replacement OS's, all of a sudden the desire was reasonable on those new OS's, while previously anyone who wanted it had been an idiot. To be fair, at the time Linux could crash attempting to hibernate on the switch so the issue may just have been a REALLY bad response to a request for something that was technically very difficult.

Returning to the thread, here is a simple solution.

Create a new folder (my private stuff) on C:, or D: by preference if you have that drive. Then set the permissions so that you can read and write to it. OneDrive won't back up the contents of that folder. This means that documents and photos held there and in sub folders won't be synced to the cloud and will always be locally available.

[stevensfo]

I have to admit that Hotmail/Outlook/Office 365 is starting to really annoy me on my Windows 10 laptop.

Every time I save a document, it wants me to save it to OneDrive. A few years ago, I couldn't open a Word doc because I wasn't connected to the internet. Not sure how that happened. For some reason, the desktop doesn't have this problem.

Why can't they accept that we don't all want to upload everything to the cloud, and we don't always want or have an internet connection?

I like to choose what I upload to OneDrive.

Steve

I'm sorry, but I've heard this sort of complaint since the days of XP and it's only got worse. The answer is that you are wrong for wanting something different than you are given. The attitude is one of many reasons that I prefer Linux, which allows/demands that you configure it to do what you want.

Back then it was options associated with the lid switch on laptops. When MS introduced replacement OS's, all of a sudden the desire was reasonable on those new OS's, while previously anyone who wanted it had been an idiot. To be fair, at the time Linux could crash attempting to hibernate on the switch so the issue may just have been a REALLY bad response to a request for something that was technically very difficult.

Returning to the thread, here is a simple solution.

Create a new folder (my private stuff) on C:, or D: by preference if you have that drive. Then set the permissions so that you can read and write to it. OneDrive won't back up the contents of that folder. This means that documents and photos held there and in sub folders won't be synced to the cloud and will always be locally available.

The answer is that you are wrong for wanting something different than you are given.

Thanks for that!

Though you forgot the small print: 'We reserve the right to alter what we gave you as much as we want. It's still your fault!'

Steve

PS To be honest, they're not doing themselves any favours. I have LibreOffice installed and only use MS Office when I really have to. When I leave work next year, I intend to spend time exploring Linux. Oh, and backing up nearly 30 years of old Hotmail emails!

[Novoiceleft]

Thanks Infrasonic. I think that is what has happened... an MS update changed my settings overnight and switched One Drive on. I certainly didn't do it - I wouldn't even know how !!

Getting philosophical about it - is it a bad thing if all my stuff is backed up on OneDrive? I've never really pondered that. Randomly, about 5% of my stuff was on One Drive alone, and not on my local drive.

This Board is great ! Thank you

NoVoice

[Urbandreamer]

Getting philosophical about it - is it a bad thing if all my stuff is backed up on OneDrive? I've never really pondered that.
NoVoice

Getting philosophical about it, is it a bad thing for a company to decide to copy all your data to their server without asking you?

Ok, that may be a bit harsh. I think that it is fair to believe that MS are just trying to be helpful.

However I would be concerned if the stuff was not copied from the default location automatically backed up to OneDrive, but copied from some random storage on the computer, or worse storage on your home network mapped as a drive for convenience.

Now if you chose to backup "all your stuff", that's a different matter. I certainly have some private finance stuff on Google's cloud.

It really depends upon what you mean by "all my stuff". Security and privacy is a BIG subject, but for example people are advised to use pencil and paper when recording their bitcoin wallet seed phrases for a reason.

[stevensfo]

Getting philosophical about it - is it a bad thing if all my stuff is backed up on OneDrive? I've never really pondered that.
NoVoice

Getting philosophical about it, is it a bad thing for a company to decide to copy all your data to their server without asking you?

Ok, that may be a bit harsh. I think that it is fair to believe that MS are just trying to be helpful.

However I would be concerned if the stuff was not copied from the default location automatically backed up to OneDrive, but copied from some random storage on the computer, or worse storage on your home network mapped as a drive for convenience.

Now if you chose to backup "all your stuff", that's a different matter. I certainly have some private finance stuff on Google's cloud.

It really depends upon what you mean by "all my stuff". Security and privacy is a BIG subject, but for example people are advised to use pencil and paper when recording their bitcoin wallet seed phrases for a reason.

But for really important and private files, you can always encrypt everything before putting it in the cloud.

There are some free open-source programs around. I've used Axcrypt for well over 20 years. Very easy. Very fast.

The only drawbacks are the changes since Windows 7. Not quite as simple as it used to be. But still effective.

Steve

[mc2fool]

Getting philosophical about it - is it a bad thing if all my stuff is backed up on OneDrive? I've never really pondered that. Randomly, about 5% of my stuff was on One Drive alone, and not on my local drive.

Well, clearly you should have a choice and be in control of what is backed up to the cloud, but overall I'd say that having off-site backups of your personal data (at least, anything you'd care about if you lost it) is essential. What you have to consider is the impact if worst came to worst and your house burnt down, taking your PC and all those backups you have on USB/NAS drives with it.

Sure, you could come up with a scheme where you have some USB drives that you manually back up to and you rotate out to the car/the office/your mum's, etc, but having some software backup your files to somewhere far away automatically as they are created/changed, and in the background, is very convenient, and isn't going to suffer from doh, I forget to do the backup and other user errors.

Personally I use http://www.sync.com (5GB for free, zero knowledge end-to-end encrypted*) for stuff I want to keep truly secure and private, and Google Drive for anything else, and while I'm not familiar with it first hand, I imagine OneDrive gives the same benefit as those (automatic syncing, versioning, deleted file recovery, etc).

I have both set up so that everything is both local on my PCs and in the cloud, and an added advantage is that it's all automatically synced between my desktop and laptop, so within moments of creating/editing a file on one of those I can change to using the other and the created/edited file is there (assuming both are turned on and connected of course). I also selectively sync some files to my Android phone.

* Zero knowledge end-to-end encrypted means that the files are encrypted by your PC, on the fly, as they are being uploaded, with keys that only your PC knows, meaning that nobody, not even the hosting service provider (sync.com in my case), can read them except you. They are similarly decrypted by your PC on the fly as they are being downloaded.

[Urbandreamer]

But for really important and private files, you can always encrypt everything before putting it in the cloud.

There are some free open-source programs around. I've used Axcrypt for well over 20 years. Very easy. Very fast.

The only drawbacks are the changes since Windows 7. Not quite as simple as it used to be. But still effective.

Steve

My point really was that you actually have to think about what you are doing. For example, you talk about encryption, which relies upon passwords or passphrases, which you need to look after. Many use password managers like Password Vault or LastPass.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/lastpass ... ts-zachxbt

BTW, apparently LastPass stores such passwords in a local vault, well as long as that isn't backed up to the cloud as well!

As I said, security is a BIG subject. I.E mc2fool has covered security against loss rather than theft.

As I said, think about what you want to do, rather than assuming that Microsoft will make the best choices for you.

[mc2fool]

As I said, security is a BIG subject. I.E mc2fool has covered security against loss rather than theft.

Zero knowledge end-to-end encryption providers, like sync.com, protect you from theft from outside your PC, i.e. from the cloud and from man-in-the-middle theft (and ransomware).

Theft by thieving software installed on your PC is, indeed, another matter. As is theft by a thief physically walking off with your laptop....

[Lootman]

Getting philosophical about it - is it a bad thing if all my stuff is backed up on OneDrive? I've never really pondered that. Randomly, about 5% of my stuff was on One Drive alone, and not on my local drive.

In my view, yes.

The vast majority of my data is not important and it really would not matter much if it all vanished. Documents I have written and the one spreadsheet I maintain is within MS Office and so is already held elsewhere. Same with emails.

At least on my machine I am invited at signon to also sign into OneDrive. I decline and that is it, no problem. And for the odd non-Office file I might want to backup, I can just attached it to an email and stick it in my draft email folder.

So if you do not like OneDrive, and I do not, then just ignore it.

[Urbandreamer]

As I said, security is a BIG subject. I.E mc2fool has covered security against loss rather than theft.

Zero knowledge end-to-end encryption providers, like sync.com, protect you from theft from outside your PC, i.e. from the cloud and from man-in-the-middle theft (and ransomware).

Theft by thieving software installed on your PC is, indeed, another matter. As is theft by a thief physically walking off with your laptop....

NO IT DOESN'T!

End to End encryption prevents theft by a man in the middle. It doesn't prevent theft from either end. Either your PC, or OBVIOUSLY the other end.
It's "End to End" and makes no claims about either end.

Look I'm sorry but many big companies have been hacked in the past. Claiming that data is safe "outside" needs a bit more evidence than a claim that it's safe during transit. Especially given public data showing otherwise.

https://www.itgovernance.co.uk/blog/lis ... ks-in-2023

According to our research, there were 114 publicly disclosed security incidents in October 2023, accounting for 867,072,315 compromised records, bringing the year’s total to over 5 billion.

Good grief even our electoral commission was hacked, rather than intercepting everyone's census returns at the post office.

[Infrasonic]

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/m ... ackup-app/

The KB5029331 cumulative update preview is part of Microsoft's *"optional non-security preview updates" schedule, which are released on the fourth Tuesday of every month. This update allows Windows admins to test upcoming fixes and features that will be released in the upcoming September Patch Tuesday.

Unlike Patch Tuesday cumulative updates, the preview updates do not include security updates.

Windows users can install this update by going into Settings, clicking on Windows Update, and manually performing a 'Check for Updates.'...

...The new Windows 10 Backup app
One of the most unexpected additions in this release, is the release of a new Windows 10 Backup app that will automatically be installed with the update.

The Windows Backup app replicates the features of Windows 11's built-in backup settings page as well as the scattered settings throughout Windows 10.

However, instead of creating a new dedicated section for these features in the Windows 10 settings, Microsoft has released it as a standalone app called Windows Backup...

I would suspect this might be the culprit. You can check by looking at your update history and seeing if kb5029331 is present.
Windows update/view update history.

*Optional is a bit of a euphemism as it will get automatically installed eventually - just not as part of any initial security or feature update.
There are ways around MS controlling automatic updates but as I mentioned upthread they tend to overwrite the registry with feature updates so often you have to keep redoing the workarounds...

[mc2fool]

Zero knowledge end-to-end encryption providers, like sync.com, protect you from theft from outside your PC, i.e. from the cloud and from man-in-the-middle theft (and ransomware).

Theft by thieving software installed on your PC is, indeed, another matter. As is theft by a thief physically walking off with your laptop....

NO IT DOESN'T!

End to End encryption prevents theft by a man in the middle. It doesn't prevent theft from either end. Either your PC, or OBVIOUSLY the other end.
It's "End to End" and makes no claims about either end.

Yes it does. The "ends" are your PC(s). They're one "end" on upload and the other "end" on download. The cloud server where your encrypted data is stored is not an "end". It's a middle.

[Novoiceleft]

It now looks like Microsoft have decided that I WILL use OneDrive.

My latest discovery is that when I get an email with an attachment, I either get a one click option to "Save to One Drive", or I can download it, go and find the file in the Downloads, and then move it to where I want (where no doubt it will synchronise to OneDrIve).

NoVoice