Windows 10: Calling OneDrive a Backup Solution is Misleading and Confusing

Discus and support Calling OneDrive a Backup Solution is Misleading and Confusing in Windows 10 Network and Sharing to solve the problem; If you are wondering why there are so many frustrated OneDrive users, it's because of the word "backup" and what people expect that to mean.... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Network and Sharing' started by Scott M. Stolz, May 28, 2020.

  1. Calling OneDrive a Backup Solution is Misleading and Confusing


    If you are wondering why there are so many frustrated OneDrive users, it's because of the word "backup" and what people expect that to mean.


    Traditionally, backup meant that the local copy was the primary version, and the backup copy was stored elsewhere. So if you say OneDrive will backup your data, that is what people expect.


    But, that is not how OneDrive works. OneDrive flips that and makes the OneDrive copy the primary copy, and your local copy the backup. If you try to detach from OneDrive or unlink a folder, it deletes the local files, which is not what people expect to happen.


    I think this is why you see so many angry users posting about their files disappearing. They don't understand what OneDrive actually does.


    Setting Expectation


    Some ideas on how to handle expectation include:

    1. Avoid using the word "backup" and instead explain that you are saving their data in the cloud as the primary copy, with a local copy for offline access.
    2. Allow people to use it as a regular backup solution. For example, allow people to detach folders from OneDrive and keep the local copy but delete the OneDrive copy. Or allow them to make the local copy the primary copy.
    3. Make it more obvious in the user interface which files and folders are stored in the cloud, and which are local only.


    Providing Both a Backup Solution and a Cloud Solution


    I think you will open up OneDrive to more users if you actually give people a choice of which copy is primary and which is not.


    For example, there are some things that I want to be backed up, but I need the local copy to be the primary copy. Huge data sets come to mind. These are temporary files that I need to use locally and never use remotely. The primary version should be the local copy, not the remote copy. Since OneDrive does not allow me to make the local copy the primary copy, I use a competing solution to back up these files.


    Other things that I need to access on multiple PCs, having OneDrive as the primary copy makes sense.


    So I totally understand why you designed it the way you did, but you could make the product so much better by making some small tweaks to it, such as how you describe it and adding functionality for keeping the local copy as primary.

    :)
     
    Scott M. Stolz, May 28, 2020
    #1
  2. kernrsn Win User

    W10 Mobile Lumia 830 Backup Not Being Saved to OneDrive

    Thanks Chari San,

    I understand I can not see what is contained in the backup stored on OneDrive, but I should see them listed. In my case there is not one being stored at all even though the phone reports it has backed up. See screenshots from OneDrive from my phone logged
    into the same account the phone is and the backup settings page above. Without the backup on OneDrive my restored phone will lose at least call history, start screen setup and installed app list from what I have found.

    Step #2 is not displayed on the new phone. (How can it restore a backup that is not on OneDrive at all). It skips over that step and I get a default install on the new phone without my call history, start page or app history. I'm not sure what else I
    might be missing but for sure at least those 3 items do not come across.

    How do I resolve this issue? Suggestions?
     
    kernrsn, May 28, 2020
    #2
  3. OneDrive - Bait and switch (but to what?)

    Yea, they just stopped giving unlimited space to Office subscribers as well. I use google drive, dropbox and I do use onedrive, but nothing major in onedrive. I read something about Amazon has that's not bad and is fairly cheap. It's called "Amazon Glacier". It's $0.007 per gigabyte per month, but it's not like google drive or onedrive. You upload your files and hours later you can get access to it. So, for backups it's not a bad solution, but if you need access to the files regularly then it wouldn't be.
     
    Mindweaver, May 28, 2020
    #3
  4. Calling OneDrive a Backup Solution is Misleading and Confusing

    Windows 10 - OneDrive

    Right click on the app and one of the properties has an option to not automatically start it. Uncheck, restart the computer, and it should stop. If you want to go another step further, find the OneDrive app in the start menu, right click on it and uninstall.

    If that is still insufficient, there is a batch uninstaller for OneDrive available online. I can copy the code here if you need it.
     
    FordGT90Concept, May 28, 2020
    #4
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Calling OneDrive a Backup Solution is Misleading and Confusing

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