Windows 10: Windows 10 acts like Offline Files are enabled when they are not

I am running a Windows Server 2012 R2 file server.


Our accounting department is now primarily working from home using a VPN connection, as well as most machines recently being rebuilt as Windows 10 Pro and are on our corporate Active Directory domain.

• Often when they are creating or editing files on the file server, other users do not see the new files or modifications to the file.
• For the same user if they user a different UNC path i.e. \\FILESRV01\share instead of \\FS01\share, where FILESRV01 and FS01 are both DNS aliases for the same server, then the too see different contents of the same folder.
• The only think I can conclude is that somehow it is caching the creations/edits on the local machine behaving like Offline Files.

1. I have verified that Offline Files is NOT enabled on the PC.
2. I changed the SMB Offline Settings on each share on the file server from "Only the files and programs that users specify are available offline" to "No files or programs from the shared folder are available offline."

I have search the internet but don't find this behavior described


Is this a default "feature" of Windows 10 Pro?

Has anyone seen this before?

How do I disable it?

:)

 

Microsoft enables offline play for Windows 10 games

Most Windows 10 games will support offline play, but you'll have to work at it.





"Larry Hryb, the man known to the world as Major Nelson, announced on Twittertoday that Microsoft has "made some backend updates to improve your experience playing @Windows 10 games offline." Basically, if you're going to be somewhere that lacks online coverage—on a submarine, for instance—it will still be possible to play your games. But there are some restrictions.

"Most games available in the Store on your Windows 10 device support offline play, but check the details of the game to make sure yours is supported by searching for your game at http://www.xbox.com," the Xbox support site says. "Most games with a campaign mode will be playable offline, but games with network co-op or multiplayer features will not work while you’re offline. While playing offline, some features, such as the ability to purchase additional items from the Windows Store, will not be available. Additionally, any leaderboards will be unavailable while you're offline."

Obviously, online features like buying stuff from in-game stores won't be available when you're offline, but the bit about "games with network co-op or multplayer features" not working while offline really isn't clear. We tested with Gears of War 4 and confirmed that the offline features like campaign and LAN multiplayer worked just fine when disconnected.

There are more caveats, though. You're limited to just one "designated offline device" at a time, and you can only change your designated offline device three times per year. Switching into offline mode isn't all that easy, either. First, you'll need to set your designated offline device:

• Make sure that you’re online.
• Check that your device has the latest Windows updates: Go to Start,Settings, Update and security, and then Windows Update and see if any relevant updates are available.
• Open the Store. You’ll be prompted to sign in if you haven’t already.
• Select the Me icon (this is your profile picture).
• Select Settings, and then under Offline Permissions, make sure that the toggle is set to On.

After that, you'll have to "prepare" your games by launching each one that you want to play offline while you're still online, and logging into your Xbox Live account. This is a bit like launching Steam into Offline mode while you still have an internet connection... but you'll have to prepare each individual Xbox game this way before going offline.

Once you've logged into the game while you're online, you can exit at any time and you'll be set. Of course, if you change your mind and want to play something you haven't properly prepared, you're out of luck.

The upside is that this only affects Windows 10 games, but it still seems wildly complicated and restrictive to me. Worse, while improved functionality is always welcome, I can't see how this does anything but beg for unflattering comparisons with Steam: When I want to play my Steam games offline, I set Steam offline, restart it, and I'm on my way—and I can do it as often as I want. Microsoft's implementation of offline play is an improvement, but only because it wasn't available at all previously. As a step toward becoming more competitive with Steam, though, it falls woefully short."

Microsoft enables offline play for Windows 10 games | PC Gamer

 

How do I enable Offline Files in Win 10 Home without upgrading to Pro?

Me too, and I also have Home. Apparently a lot of others share your frustration.

A Microsoft representative has said that..

...but several others in that thread had the same "click "Manage Offline Files" under Sync Center, nothing happens" problem as you. The suggestion form another Microsoft representative was to...

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-841e46a70799

But apparently no one had a cscsvc.dll on their machine...

Edit: ...neither do I on my W10 Home machine - I do have a cscsvc.dll on my Pro machine though (and I can enable and use offline folders on that). Looks like Karthicka_R got it wrong and this is only for Pro. *Sad

 

offline files acces denied (file name database.xml)

Hi,

Access issues with offline files can be due to the changes in the configuration of the device and/or the host/server. To better understand your concern, we'd like to know the following:

• If you're using the Windows Sync Center application to access/manage your offline files.
• If you're referring to the use of the OneDrive application.
• If your device is managed by a domain or an organization.
• The exact error messages that you're getting when accessing the files.
• The version and build of Windows 10 that you're using on your device. To check this, you can perform the steps posted on this
  
  link.

In the meantime, we'd recommend performing the following steps to verify the status of the offline file access on your device:

• Search and launch Control Panel using Cortana.
• In the Search Control Panel box, type offline.
• Under Sync Center, click Manage offline files.
• In the Offline Files pop-up window, check if its enabled.

We look forward to your response.