OneDrive - what on earth have MS done?!?

[vaderag]

So, just upgraded to the very nice Windows 10 on my Surface 3, and it seems that MS have removed the smartfiles feature from windows 8.1 with no intention of re-instating this. This is absolutely nuts. On low space devices like the Surface this kind of feature is essential.

What can we do about this?

 

[waeras]

This has been one of the number one complaints ever since the first Windows Insider build was released and they still haven't done anything about it. I don't think Microsoft cares at all.

 

[vaderag]

I'm so shocked. Absolute let down. 1 step forward and 2 steps back!
Surely they must see how important this is to people - one of the main, if not the main reason i pay for OneDrive, and now i'm stuck...

 

[rhapdog]

I'm afraid that there were far greater complaints about how confusing smartfiles were compared to how many upset about losing it. That's the bottom line. What works for one person doesn't work for another, and those that liked smartfiles are pretty much left out.

To know more about what is going on and why Microsoft had to make these changes, check out this article:
Microsoft Responds To OneDrive Changes In Windows 10 Build 9879, Smart Files Are Not Coming Back

They are working on bringing back some of that functionality according to that article.

You might try this workaround for the PC, if you're feeling up to some tinkering. I make no guarantees of how it will work out on the final Windows 10. This was for an early preview build.
Browse all your OneDrive Files from File Explorer in Windows 10 (Build 9879) | McAkins Online

 

[Dirigent82]

I agree - I was shocked to learn of this change to OneDrive. To me, the point of remote storage is to get it OFF of your local computer to save space. This is particularly annoying to me because I like to store some of my music collection on OneDrive. Previously, I would make "offline" whatever music files I wanted to play. I guess I can do a similar thing and sync certain folders, but it seems more of a hassle.

But, I'm not happy with the direction they went with OneDrive. It makes no sense to me to have files on a remote storage taking up space on your local computer.

 

[vaderag]

They could easily have solved this with a toggle defaulted to off if they liked for those users that find them confusing... Its just sloppy and lacks the foresight that ms have shown in abundance lately

 

[iamtim]

They could easily have solved this with a toggle defaulted to off if they liked for those users that find them confusing

That's a very short-sighted answer. If they're rewriting and making changes to the sync engine itself, what's that toggle going to do? Switch back to the old sync engine? Meaning that Microsoft now has to maintain two code bases just for syncing OneDrive?

No, that's silly.

 

[Toto39]

No, what is silly is the new all or nothing sync engine. If you stop sync then it deletes everything you're not syncing. All MS has to do is allow a setting to individual set smartfiles. It's just pointers after all which have been in OS's since the 1960s. If they can't figure that out then they need to get some real programmers.

 

[rhapdog]

The link I posted above for trying to link OneDrive to your PC will no longer function. However, I have found a way to still map your OneDrive to your local PC as a drive letter. This will make your files still in the cloud and not taking up space on your local machine, yet still be able to browse them and point to them with your apps.

http://forums.windowscentral.com/wi...w-map-onedrive-drive-letter-windows-10-a.html

 

[enixon]

I don't know what a Smart File is, but I wish I didn't have to sync the folders and files to my device just to access them. For me to change my desktop background, I have to sync the file from One Drive to my computer, instead of how it was in 8.1, where it just downloads it when it needs it.

Is that what you're talking about? If so, I agree with you 100%!

 

[vaderag]

I don't know what a Smart File is, but I wish I didn't have to sync the folders and files to my device just to access them. For me to change my desktop background, I have to sync the file from One Drive to my computer, instead of how it was in 8.1, where it just downloads it when it needs it.

Is that what you're talking about? If so, I agree with you 100%!

Yep, that's it.