Windows 10: Confused about OneDrive

First post, as a newcomer to Win 10 after 15 years with XP (and all previous Windows OS versions).

On this page
Files save to OneDrive by default in Windows 10
I'm reading an explanation of OneDrive:

"While you can always choose where to save files that you create, ...the default setting is to save files to OneDrive, rather than to your PC.

Whether you save by default to your computer or to OneDrive, all of your files are available on your PC."

I'm confused by that "...rather than to your PC."

OneDrive is a folder on my PC! So saving a file to OneDrive means it gets saved on my PC. It's not an Either/Or choice is it? Shouldn't the wording be ""...as well as your PC." ?

--------------------

I have a Dropbox folder (In XP it was C:\Docs\Dropbox, not sure where it should be in Win 10) . Any files I place
there are available fairly quickly on my iPad and iPhone. Isn't OneDrive simply the Microsoft equivalent of Dropbox?

If so, I'm wondering do I actually need OneDrive, as it duplicates Dropbox - and would consume a lot of my SSD.

Any advice on these puzzling points would be appreciated please.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

:)

 

Confused about expiration?

Hi,

Thank you for posting your query on Microsoft Community.

Please be informed that Windows 10 is free for the customers who has activated Windows 7 with Service pack installed on it and for activated Windows 8.1 customer. Since you have a genuine Windows 7 which was activated, You will be able to upgrade
Technical preview to Windows 10

I suggest you to download media creation tool and install Windows 10 using the tool.

Windows 10 herunterladen

I suggest you to click on Upgrade this PC now option when installing Windows.

How to Download Official Windows 10 ISO files Using Media Creation Tool or Directly Using your Web Browser

I suggest you to refer to the article provided below and check whether your system meets the requirements to install Windows 10.

Windows 10 System Requirements & Specifications | Microsoft

Hope the information helps. Let us know if you need further assistance. We will be happy to help.

Thank you.

 

confused about upgrade

Is Windows 10 really free and do I have to pay for it after the first year has passed?

Windows 10 will be free for the first year to all Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Phone 8.1 users. This means, as long you upgrade within the first 12 months (July 29th 2015 to July 29th 2016), you will not have to pay for Windows 10 at all.



Wow, thats cool, but does that mean, I will have to pay for Windows 10 after the first year?

No. Its a promotion to get as many users to upgrade their existing Windows 7 PCs and Windows 8.1 devices to Windows 10.
Once you upgrade within the first year for free, its yours forever at no additional cost. As Microsoft Program Manager for Windows Terry Myerson described it:

This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device
–at no additional charge.

Source:
http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/01/21/the-next-generation-of-windows-windows-10/

I heard Microsoft representatives mention they are moving to a servicing model for Windows 10, does that mean Windows 10 is going to require a subscription?

No, Windows 10 remains a perpetual license, which means, you can upgrade to Windows 10 and use it forever without it expiring or going into any reduced functional mode.

Are you saying there will be no more versions of Windows after Windows 10?

Microsoft is moving Windows to a servicing model with Windows 10. The days of major revisions or what are called big bang releases are no more. As Microsoft Program Manager for Windows Terry Myerson described it:

This is more than a one-time upgrade: once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, we will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device
– at no additional charge. With Windows 10, the experience will evolve and get even better over time. We’ll deliver new features when they’re ready, not waiting for the next major release. We think of Windows as a Service
– in fact, one could reasonably think of Windows in the next couple of years as one of the largest Internet services on the planet.

And just like any Internet service, the idea of asking "What version are you on?" will cease to make sense
– which is great news for our Windows developers.

Source: The next generation of Windows: Windows 10 - Windows Experience Blog

Why is Windows 10 free, is there some catch?

No, its not a catch. We are computing in different times. Windows 10 is free so app developers can standardize on one platform and reduce the fragmented market of different versions and editions of Windows that have been an issue in the past. When everybody
is on the same platform, it means better quality apps, a healthier ecosystem and more advances in hardware and software innovation.

 

What you put in those OneDrive folders will be saved to that folder on your PC, and synced (copied) to the matching online OneDrive folder. Log in with the same Microsoft ID on another PC and those files get synced to that PC's local OneDrive folders. The only limitations are how much OneDrive storage you have. You can also share what is in the public folder to others. Right click it and you'll get a "Share a OneDrive Link" option. I've done that and posted the link in posts here to share pictures, videos and files.

 

Thanks, appreciate the fast reply. So I understand you are agreeing that MS are wrong with that explanation. Quite misleading IMO!

Any advice on my other question by Dropbox users please?

 

You can set it to save to the local Documents, Pictures etc folders, instead of to the equivalent OneDrive folders. I did it. The default on setup is to the OneDrive folders, but there is a "save locally" option. You can switch it after the install too. One of these tutorials should help.
https://www.tenforums.com/gtsearch.ph...a.x=15&sa.y=12

 

From my experience, Microsoft's wording is correct.

 

Whether you save by default to your computer or to OneDrive, all of your files are available on your PC. The OneDrive app, built in to Windows 10, synchronizes your files between OneDrive and your computer, so they are available even when your computer is not connected to the Internet.

^^^
Saved to your PC and OneDrive. You have access even if you don't have an internet connection. Assuming they have already synced to that PC. The green checkmark on the folder means they have synced. If I add files to my OneDrive folder they have an X on them until it syncs to the online folder. Once they match the green checkmark shows up. I chose the "save locally" option during the Windows 10 install. If I save a document or picture, they are saved to my local folders, not the OneDrive ones. I chose what gets saved to One Drive.

 

What Microsoft means when they say "save files to OneDrive, rather than to your PC." is one of context. You can save it to either your local PC or OneDrive. However, if you save it to a non-OneDrive synced folder it will only be on your local PC. If you save it to OneDrive it will also get synced back to your local PC (in the OneDrive folder).

 

As one who went from XP to 8 to 10, the easiest way to explain is that, for eg; OneDrive Pictures and This PC/Pictures are separate folders. If you wish all your pictures or music to be in the One Drive folders so they can be synced in the Cloud to your other MS devices then leave the default. Or, you can elect to save ALL pictures to the normal Pictures folder that you are used to and select certain pictures to COPY to One Drive, say, rare family photos, in case of fire or hard drive failure (see attached screen for Action Center setting).

Then you'll have two copies on your PC but one is backed up in the Cloud. I do this for music that I want to share but do not have nearly enough One Drive space to upload my entire collection. Bottom line, if you want to save SSD space, change the Save location for everything to This PC and back up files to an external HD. If you have something to share or can't afford to lose, COPY those files to the corresponding One Drive file. If you right click the One Drive icon in the system tray, you'll find that you select which OD folders to sync too. Good Luck.

 

My thanks to all for those very helpful replies. Much to study now. First step will be to find my way through the complex settings to the one which switches me to minimal use of oneDrive while I consider whether it offers any benefit.

I'd still like to hear from any Dropbox users on the question of whether both facilities are needed. Seems potentially wasteful and confusing to me.

Terry, UK

 

Maybe it's because some people keep the OneDrive "desktop version" turned off but access their OneDrive through their browser and store stuff there, like I do, precisely because that didn't make sense to me-- to have everything on my hard-drive when the reason I was utilizing OneDrive was to free up space.

From what I understand, in either Windows 7 or 8 (I never used either-- my last PC had Vista) OneDrive had a "placeholder" feature where the actual files themselves weren't what you saw in the OneDrive folder, but rather placeholders that allowed you to know what was being stored in the cloud, but you had to download the file to actually access it locally. This makes far more sense than what we have now, and from what I've seen, there was a big uproar about this feature being done away with, as it rendered OneDrive totally useless for many people with small hard-drives. Maybe some of this confusing phrasing is "left over" from the old OneDrive setup

 

Not sure if this is a recent development but I've just noticed that in File Explorer when I click the small down arrow I get 'OneDrive' appearing below.





Why?

And this is whether or not I have OneDrive 'enabled' or 'disabled' via the registry change described here:
https://www.windowsphoneinfo.com/threads/enable-or-disable-onedrive-integration.7801/

It's presumably a separate issue, but so far I can't see any difference. What is a definitive test please?

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

 

Thanks Abc, sort of pleased that I'm not alone in being confused about this. Please also see the post I just sent before seeing this. Up until sometime last night, clicking that down arrow (or using the hotkey <Alt + d>) showed me the full folder name in familar format, not 'OneDrive' as it does now.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

 

Thanks, appreciate the feedback. I've removed as much of OneDrive as I could, but it still pops it's head up occasionally.