Newsletter Archives

• Readers speak: How-tos, tips, and troubles with OneDrive

  Posted on June 14, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  An outpouring of reader mail turned what was planned as a one-off item into a multi-issue conversation!

  In today’s column, readers share their experiences in working around some of the worst omissions in Microsoft’s thin OneDrive documentation.

  Topics include overcoming a too-full C: drive, more detail on the use and removal of symlinks, and unexpected delays in syncing files to the cloud.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.22.0 (2021-06-14).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive

• OneDrive’s two Documents folders; missing menu items

  Posted on June 7, 2021 at 02:43 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  One of the most confusing aspects of OneDrive’s operation is its creation of a second Documents folder.

  Most Microsoft (and many third-party) apps automatically accept OneDrive’s Documents folder as their new default save-to location, but some apps may still continue to use the original Documents folder.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.21.0 (2021-06-07).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive

• Securing sensitive files in OneDrive’s cloud

  Posted on May 31, 2021 at 01:04 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.20 • 2021-05-31

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Does it feel like rolling the security dice when you save your files to a cloud-based service? When the files move out of your control and protection and into who-knows-what security measures the cloud-provider is using? You feelin’ lucky?

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.20.0 (2021-05-31).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.20.F (2021-05-31).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive

• Win7 to Win10 activation trouble

  Posted on May 24, 2021 at 01:03 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  A subscriber lost his Win7 product key and wonders what will happen if his free Win10 upgrade fails to properly activate, especially now that the old, manual “get a replacement key” methods no longer work!

  Surprisingly, the original product key might still exist in several unusual locations, even after the upgrade — but digging it out could take some doing. Here are the options, with additional information about what happens if you don’t activate!

  Plus: More on OneDrive’s permanent vs. impermanent local copies.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.19.0 (2021-05-24).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive, Windows, Windows Activation

• Another OneDrive problem caused by poor documentation

  Posted on May 17, 2021 at 01:02 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Microsoft’s OneDrive service can be excellent, but it also can be frustratingly hard to use to its fullest, impeded by documentation that’s sparse, scattered, and incomplete.

  For example, OneDrive has three very different ways of handling your files, but only one — and it’s not the default — leaves behind a permanent, fully normal, local copy on your hard drive!

  None of this is explained in OneDrive’s “getting started” documentation or in its top-level help files — but is explained in today’s column.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.18.0 (2021-05-17).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Microsoft, OneDrive

• More on OneDrive, and Symlinks

  Posted on May 3, 2021 at 01:06 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  A recent column on OneDrive problems brought a ton of email from readers asking for help with overcoming OneDrive’s poor documentation, weak user interface, and other limitations.

  The largest group of questions was about using symlinks to allow OneDrive to automatically sync and process files or folders without having to first move and fit them all into the local C:\…\OneDrive\ folder.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.16.0 (2021-05-03).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive

• OneDrive, several problems

  Posted on April 19, 2021 at 01:06 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  OneDrive’s poor documentation and weak user interface can cause endless frustration.

  Some important OneDrive procedures are left unexplained; others literally cannot be accomplished from the desktop and can be done only via the Web interface — but again, with nary a word of guidance.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, OneDrive

• All storage is not created equal

  Posted on April 19, 2021 at 01:00 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  ONEDRIVE TIP

  

  By Will Fastie

  The word “drive” in the name implies that OneDrive is just like any other local hard drive or solid-state drive in your system.

  It isn’t. I consider that a bug. A serious bug.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, OneDrive

• Using Microsoft OneDrive on your Android device

  Posted on March 1, 2021 at 01:02 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  ONEDRIVE

  Using Microsoft OneDrive on your Android device

  By Lance Whitney

  You can access, view, and edit your synced OneDrive files from your Android phone or tablet.

  Microsoft OneDrive is an effective tool for backing up, syncing, and sharing documents and other files across your computers. But the program is also adept on a mobile device. In February, I covered the process for using OneDrive on an iPhone or iPad; now it’s time to see what it can do on an Android device.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.8.0 (2021-03-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 Android, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, OneDrive

• Using OneDrive on your iPhone or iPad

  Posted on February 15, 2021 at 01:15 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  ONEDRIVE

  Using OneDrive on your iPhone or iPad

  By Lance Whitney

  Using the OneDrive app on your Apple devices allows you to cross that great Apple/Microsoft divide.

  Microsoft OneDrive is a helpful tool for backing up and synchronizing your folders and files across your Windows computers. But it can also play a similar role on your mobile devices. With the OneDrive app for iOS/iPadOS, you can access, open, and share your online files. You can download files to your device to view them without being online. You can automatically upload photos and videos taken on your phone or tablet so they’re accessible from OneDrive. And you can even edit your files with the right mobile apps.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.6.0 (2021-02-15).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, OneDrive, Windows 10

• Microsoft OneDrive: The basics

  Posted on February 1, 2021 at 01:15 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  onedrive

  Microsoft OneDrive: The basics

  By Lance Whitney

  Want to be able to back up and synchronize your files with Microsoft OneDrive
  but aren’t sure where to start? Here’s a primer on getting started with OneDrive.

  Microsoft OneDrive is an effective tool for automatically backing up and synchronizing your documents, photos, and other files. By backing up your files to OneDrive in the cloud, you can recover them in case you accidentally delete or lose them. And by synchronizing your files, you ensure that they’re accessible from any computer or device running OneDrive.

  OneDrive is automatically included and accessible in Windows 10 and Windows 8.1. Those of you still running Windows 7 can manually download and install it. Beyond Windows, OneDrive is available for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, and Android, so you can access it from any computer or mobile device. I use OneDrive as my primary backup and synchronization service and find it very convenient and helpful.

  But OneDrive can be tricky to set up and configure initially, especially if you’re not familiar with its various settings and options. Let’s look at the basics of OneDrive to see how you can get started and use it most effectively.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.4.0 (2021-02-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office 365, OneDrive

• Having problems with OneDrive Files on Demand? “OneDrive cannot connect to Windows.” The bug isn’t just in Win10 version 2004

  Posted on July 4, 2020 at 09:01 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  On Thursday, Microsoft posted a warning entitled Issues using OneDrive Files On-Demand on some devices after updating to Windows 10, version 2004.

  Long and short of it:

  some older devices or devices with certain older apps installed that use legacy file system filter drivers might be unable to connect to OneDrive via the OneDrive app. Affected devices might not be able to download new Files On-Demand or open previously synced/downloaded files.

  

  @WStjdavis2768 hit the same bug last week. Martin Brinkmann wrote about the  bug yesterday.

  Here’s the cute part: I’m seeing reports that the bug isn’t limited to Win10 version 2004. Other, older versions of Windows apparently trigger the same error.

  I have no idea why. Do you?

  Windows Patches/Security OneDrive
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