Microsoft OneDrive- a cautionary tale

[badjez]

I'm not much good with computers, but thankfully I know enough to keep a back-up copy of my files- or so I thought.

Happily playing away when a Microsoft OneDrive pop-up tells me I have not used my OneDrive storage as part of a Windows/ Word package: I open it up via my File Explorer. I decided that it might be good to have copies of my files stored away from home so I moved them to OneDrive.

I then checked via the OneDrive internet page that my files had arrived. All the stub headings (or whatever they are called) appeared under the proper headings so I felt quite pleased with myself. However, going back to File Explorer I discovered that the files had not copied but had been transferred completely, leaving me nothing on my home pc.

'No problem' I'll copy them back and all will be well.

THIS WAS A BIG MISTAKE. All my transferred files now disappeared into the web leaving only file names! 879 files lost!

Back I go to OneDrive website. Yes the files are there, but no, they are only file names without content.

Contact 'HELP', but after 20 exchanges over a week I'm told everything is lost, the files supposedly never arrived with Microsoft so cannot be recovered.

What they fail to tell you is that, whilst the files are shown as transferred on File Explorer, they actually don't get archived with Microsoft for up to two hours. If you attempt to access and change them during that time they evaporate. They cannot/ will not explain how or where they go to.

Luckily I keep a separate Drive which holds copies of all the files, albeit a month out of date. Such a shame Microsoft doesn't think to warn you about the consequences of using their cloud. Currently mine is a black one!

Stephen.