OneDrive: question regarding changing the OneDrive Folder Location

[mtf1380]

I have a number of computers, but this issue involves a Surface Pro 3. I drastically needed to clear up space on my D:/, so I followed the instructions given by https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-files/move-the-onedrive-folder/147dade2-830b-46ee-bf7e-36a8eab9446a , coupled with the following of instructions given in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=265&v=p1K3Prkqg5I , everything seemed to go well, and good...but this morning I see that the moving of the OneDrive folder has initiated an uploading of all my files (a total of 42G). I have already gone through this process last year when I had to move files from C:/ to D:/ and it literally took months, and months. I don't (can't) go through this again...is there another way? I thought that the files were to remain in the cloud, which they are, but now they want to upload them again. Should I just save all the files to a new folder and leave my OneDrive blank so there is nothing to upload? plus I don't need to download the files again because they are already on this computer. I am in a rural area and already have the fastest internet service available to me (which SUCKS! speed is an embarrassing 6-12 Mb/s). Please Help!

 

[Ryujingt3]

From what I read, once you change the folder location OneDrive will compare the files in that new location (e.g. different files) with the ones that are currently in the cloud and it should only upload the ones that are different.

Does this help? Apologies if you did it all already.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/75052-change-location-onedrive-folder-windows-10-a.html

 

[Kevin Rush]

I would think if the date/time of any file changed, then when "compared" it would be seen by OneDrive as a new file and would upload it. Sometimes when you copy a file to a new location, the file date/time is changed to the current date/time even though the file content hasn't changed. I would think this would cause OneDrive to compare and upload the file. Can someone please comment on this.

 

[mtf1380]

From what I read, once you change the folder location OneDrive will compare the files in that new location (e.g. different files) with the ones that are currently in the cloud and it should only upload the ones that are different.

Does this help? Apologies if you did it all already.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/75052-change-location-onedrive-folder-windows-10-a.html

Thank you for your reply @Ryujingt3, I appreciate it.

 

[mtf1380]

I would think if the date/time of any file changed, then when "compared" it would be seen by OneDrive as a new file and would upload it. Sometimes when you copy a file to a new location, the file date/time is changed to the current date/time even though the file content hasn't changed. I would think this would cause OneDrive to compare and upload the file. Can someone please comment on this.

@Kevin Rush, thank you for your insight, I believe you are correct and this is what happened to me last time (date change prompted upload...makes sense) and the upload continued for months. I hope someone will submit a work around; for another bout of months of upoads and slow internet speeds is out of the question. It is only my SP3, which is on "skip ahead" fast ring, so not something I "rely on" for travel (still have the Surface Book for that task) and the SP3 is on the desk with my main Desktop PC so I do have access to all the files I need. I have unlinked Onedrive on the SP3 for the time being and will leave it as such until I can find a solution. On a positive note, my Service Provider is currently installing fiber optic cable in my neighborhood, and it should be completed by the first of the year...OH JOY!!!

Thank you again, cheers!
Mike

 

[shaddack]

Maybe you can preserve the creation dates and modified dates when copying? These links seems to suggest that it is possible. Either with the ordinary copy command or something called robocopy which is both available through the command line (or powershell)

https://social.technet.microsoft.co...changing-the-last-accessed-date-on-the-source

https://social.technet.microsoft.co...-the-date-modified-the-same-when-doing-a-copy

best regards

 

[Amelia Baker]

That's really awesome

 

[mtf1380]

Maybe you can preserve the creation dates and modified dates when copying? These links seems to suggest that it is possible. Either with the ordinary copy command or something called robocopy which is both available through the command line (or powershell)

https://social.technet.microsoft.co...changing-the-last-accessed-date-on-the-source

https://social.technet.microsoft.co...-the-date-modified-the-same-when-doing-a-copy

best regards

@shaddack, thank you for your help...I really do appreciate it. Thank again

 

[Ryujingt3]

@shaddack, thank you for your help...I really do appreciate it. Thank again

Did that help? It's a good idea to preserve the creation and modification dates to trick OneDrive. In theory it should work. I'm interested to see if it does. I had to reupload over 100GB of music the last time I moved my OneDrive folder. I bet it was slower for me than for you @mtf1380.

 

[mtf1380]

Did that help? It's a good idea to preserve the creation and modification dates to trick OneDrive. In theory it should work. I'm interested to see if it does. I had to reupload over 100GB of music the last time I moved my OneDrive folder. I bet it was slower for me than for you @mtf1380.

I will have to let you know if it works, I haven't had the time to do a tinkering yet. You have slow Internet speed too?

 

[shaddack]

@shaddack, thank you for your help...I really do appreciate it. Thank again

You're welcome! Hope it helps!

 

[Ryujingt3]

I will have to let you know if it works, I haven't had the time to do a tinkering yet. You have slow Internet speed too?

Here in Thailand, the internet speed isn't great either. At least where I am. So yes, uploading all my music all the time to OneDrive takes weeks.