Solved My desktop seems like it is a onedrive folder

Personally, if you have all your files backed up off computer, I would reset the computer (like a reinstall), and the first thing to do then is right click on the one drive cloud icon on the taskbar (sometimes hidden under the shortcut arrow), open the one drive settings, and select "unlink this pc".

Then uninstall the one drive program - it should be in the list of apps and can be uninstalled there (Settings - installed apps). Sometimes it's in control panel and can be uninstalled there.

You don't need to delete the one drive folder in c driver, once it is unlinked from the pc and uninstalled, but I think some people "rename it" to stop it activating in future (eg if you install office it installs one drive again).

Then put your files back on - then you have a normal computer.

The same thing happened to me once and I lost files and I always unlink/ uninstall it now as the first thing I do before setting up any computer. I don't need it or use it.

Some people find it a great application - providing you understand how it works and get the settings right. I don't and prefer not to have it at all as it can do things like you've experienced to the uninitiated (which can be a lot of people!).

Thanks I'll definitely consider that.

Right now computer does look fine after having reinstalled it with no sync completed, and then having unlinked it and then uninstalled it with all files in place and nothing missing so I may just leave it.

Sorry I maybe missed you'd already done that As long as your folders and files are all ok and where they should be!

Actually, I didn't reinstall windows, I just reinstalled onedrive with the goal of having it do its thing, but it wasn't able to since i had too many files and it stated i need more space. So then I toggled off the folders syncing, checked the system... no files in onedrive cloud or onedrive local folders, desktop is where it should be etc, no files missing and then I unlinked onedrive and uninstalled it. Now laptop looks fine as it did before.

If I were to do a windows reinstall, with the goal of unlinking onedrive and uninstalling it before it has a chance to do a first login, can i keep my files and settings in place with the reinstall?

tomsters said:

Actually, I didn't reinstall windows, I just reinstalled onedrive with the goal of having it do its thing, but it wasn't able to since i had too many files and it stated i need more space. So then I toggled off the folders syncing, checked the system... no files in onedrive cloud or onedrive local folders, desktop is where it should be and then I unlinked onedrive and uninstalled it. Now laptop looks fine as it did before.

If I were to do a windows reinstall, with the goal of unlinking onedrive and uninstalling it before it has a chance to login, can i keep my files and settings in place with the reinstall?

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I believe there's an option not to remove your files when doing a reset, but personally I wouldn't risk it - I would back them up - even if it's just saving them all to a usb and copying them back again afterwards. Plus doing a reset without saving files is like a proper clean install really. It doesn't take that long (although it can be time consuming backing up your files if you have a lot).

Hazel123 said:

I believe there's an option not to remove your files when doing a reset, but personally I wouldn't risk it - I would back them up - even if it's just saving them all to a usb and copying them back again afterwards. Plus doing a reset without saving files is like a proper clean install really. It doesn't take that long (although it can be time consuming backing up your files if you have a lot).

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I have my files backed up in multiple places. I'm not worried about any of that. I'm more concerned with all the work that would need to be done doing a clean install. Basically setting up the computer again. Which is what I had done the first time. I set it up as a new computer with no settings transferred (other than some browser and thunderbird stuff).

There is that yes. Re-adding programs, and doing any settings in Windows settings. If you did do it though, once all the programs and settings are done, one drive unlinked and uninstalled and before adding the files back, you coiuld do a system image. Then if you ever need to reinstall again - you just restore your image and you have a clean install with all programs and settings already done, and much quicker to restore in future.

You'd need an external usb hard drive to do a system image though.

You could also set it up with a local account initially, rather than a Microsoft account. That way one drive doesn't try and do anything before you unlink/uninstall it. Because you're not connected to a microsoft account.

I usually do that.

1) Install with a local account
2) Connect to Internet
3) Unlink/uninstall One drive
4) While windows updates are going on, go through my settings and set things how I want them
5) Re-install any programs.
6) Make a system image

After that you can either stay on a local account or sign in with your Microsoft account. And add files back.

To install with a local account, when you get to the set up part where it asks you to connect to the internet, don't connect to the internet. Type Shift F10 to open a command prompt. Click in the command prompt window (to enable typing) and type

start ms-cxh:localonly

And hit return.

A window opens enabling you to set up a local account (Eg add your name). Setting a password is optional but if you do set one you'll need it later if you ever sign in with a microsoft account.

It then takes you through the last bit of the out of box experience (I usually click "no" to everything! or choose the lesser of the two options). Then you go to the desktop. It's a quicker install. Then you can connect to the internet and let Windows do any updates etc. You can sign in with a microsoft account at any time before or after your system image but I'd recommend waiting until after you've uninstalled one drive.

@Hazel123.

Thank you for the great info. I'm gonna keep it in mind.

I think for now given that the computer seems fine and onedrive is gone, I'm gonna let it ride. I'll do a macrium back up of current image and if any issues arise in future, I'll consider doing what you say. Thanks.

If I see one more stinking thread on how OneDrive has made someone's life miserable, I'm going to report MS to the BBB for spreading malware!
OneDrive should actually be considered a PUP!

Edwin said:

If I see one more stinking thread on how OneDrive has made someone's life miserable, I'm going to report MS to the BBB for spreading malware!
OneDrive should actually be considered a PUP!

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I do consider it as malware tbh. It starts doing things with files before someone has even reached their desktop and doesn't ask first because they have been made to set up with a microsoft account during install. In fact I'm wondering if it's breaching European laws to have something activate without being asked for consent first. It should certainly come with a warning and an Opt in or out.

When I reinstall OneDrive, login and it tries to sync, I get this screen:




So it does nothing thankfully. It doesn't sync and it doesn't create a desktop folder in the one drive folder on the computer or in the cloud just the other folders which have nothing in them.

And it doesn't sync because I guess they only give you 5GB free storage which is nothing... So it tells you to get more storage. I can toggle off the documents, pictures and desktop, and then unlink and uninstall.

Of course all of my folders; desktop, pictures, documents etc are on the normal C:\Users\myusername\ path.

Everything at C:\Users\myusername\OneDrive\ in that folder is empty and C:\Users\myusername\OneDrive\Desktop doesn't exist since it did not create the desktop folder I guess because it did not sync it.

So if you unlink it and ununstall it again and all your files and folders are normal, then you should be OK. What office do you use? if you use Office 365 it'll put it will put it back again and I believe Onedrive can then appear in all sorts of places . Even if you instal stand alone office It still puts Onedrive back , but I just uninstall it again .

Hazel123 said:

So if you unlink it and ununstall it again and all your files and folders are normal, then you should be OK. What office do you use? if you use Office 365 it'll put it will put it back again and I believe Onedrive can then appear in all sorts of places . Even if you instal stand alone office It still puts Onedrive back , but I just uninstall it again .

Click to expand...

Thanks. I usually use libre office or open office (old).

I probably will do a clean install with laptop in the future sometime.

I usually do it even if all is ok. I just want to get used to Windows 11 and everything on the laptop to know what's needed.

Everything does seem good. I'm no expert, but the folders are where they should be and all the one driver folder stuff is empty on laptop and cloud.

For backups i usually use Macrium free version 8 and then save on usb drive (i have dedicated rescue usb as well).. i have a ton of them. Plus all of it is on a win 10 laptop. And important stuff is encryped and stored. And a lot of it is on my iPhone SE3 which really is my main "computer". It has an excellent backup system.

Was frightening at first though to see my desktop be affected by deleting files in the onedrive cloud. I didn't know it did that.

When I was messing around with win 10 a week ago on old laptop, thinking that i needed if for the free ESU win 10 updates, onedrive did the same thing as the image shows above... it wasn't able to sync anything because I had 50 gb of data - a lot of it associated with desktop since I put a folder there and create my own storage folders within.. So I didn't get to see whats possible when it actually is able to sync desktop. Meanwhile there were a few odd files in the cloud that i deleted and I didn't really see any impact.

This time though, with new win 11 computer, i had much less files when it attempted first sync so it was able to sync desktop the first time. Then when I deleted files from cloud, including from desktop, my desktop got affected. Plus I noticed when changing file download options in chrome and elsewhere, an ominous looking odd onedrive path. Which added to my confusion. My main folder vanished from desktop. I found it with a search and put it back on then current odd desktop. It was missing folders. So, I basically readded the folders via usb drive from other laptop again... Then i deleted all files from cloud and toggled off folders and re-added any other missing stuff. I basically completely redid the desktop including shortcuts and it seemed to auto correct to user path if it wasn't there in the first place. Then uninstalled one drive. Then afterward, taking a closer look at all the main folder paths... it all looks good. There was a short cut to onedrive link in i think the photo folder (which was in the right path) so I just deleted the shortcut. Meanwhile all folders work as expected and I did a few scans and all report laptop is good.

I should have researched it better though before. The win 11 laptop that i got two days ago was an unexpected gift. I had just gotten three win 10 laptops enrolled in the ESU for free and intended on staying with win 10 for another year or two.

But I'm glad I got this laptop. It positively smokes and it has a finger print sensor. Just way easier and faster. Win 11 is kind of annoying at times esp onedrive but its doable esp with brink's tutorials and reg fixes.

I think the issue is the requirement to sign in with a Microsoft account during the out of box experience and connect to the Internet. From what I've seen you can wait for quite a long time before reaching the desktop while Windows is doing updates in the background and activating OneDrive automatically. This didn't used to happen when signing in with a Microsoft Account and setting up Windows 10! Although maybe it does now because Windows 10 has evolved as well. I started uninstalling Onedrive out of habit some years ago when running low hardware, Because it helped speed things up, because Onedrive running was a resource hog. As I never used it I just carried on doing that. I can't remember the occasion it happened to me, but it was obviously on a laptop that had adequate hardware and I actually lost files, not understanding that if I deleted them in Onedrive it would also delete them from the computer. It's been explained to me that if you have the settings right that can't happen, But I'm sure many people like me just don't understand it and don't look into it and don't expect something to automatically sync your files without asking you with the risk of losing them.

The main reason I set up with a local account, is just to get to the desktop quicker and I like to see the Windows updates installing rather than have them going on in the background and making me wait to get to the desktop, But now I think it's actually important to instal with a local account and Only Connect a Microsoft Account (if you want to) after uninstalling OneDrive.

For backup I use Idrive which only does what I want, It's also not free but it's a proper backup, whereas Onedrive isn't actually a backup solution it's a syncing solution. And I do backups on external hard drive as well.

I was wondering about that. So when you set up the computer for the first time... a new computer or Windows reinstall, with a microsoft account, does windows actually auto-log you into onedrive using your microsoft account details during set up after providing that and/or does it give you the choice/option to not log in to onedrive during setup so even if you set it up with microsoft account, if it's not logged in and syncing, but installed, you could just immediately unlink and uninstall it when you get to the desktop and avoid syncing issues? I don't remember what it did when I set up my laptop.

I don't remember what it says either - I don't believe anything is mentioned at all during instal , It's probably in the small print of the EULA. But yes I believe it automatically starts syncing with Onedrive during instal now - you'll also find syncing is turned on automatically in settings under Windows backup, after instal something I only discovered recently .

But all syncing and OneDrive is attached to a Microsoft Account So if you don't have a Microsoft account and don't set up with one then there's no syncing.

The rest of Windows 11 I find great Although nothing is perfect.

Ok so i opted to do two factory resets... the pc reset that deletes all files and then reinstalls windows with programs the laptop came with.

First time I did it with Microsoft account trying to see if I could disable one drive along the way. When it asks for Microsoft account info in the beginning, in the accompanying bullets points, no mention of backup, clouds or one drive login is made. Though there is a cloud image on the left. I guess that was a clue. So when i get to the desktop, onedrive just starts syncing. I tried to stop it. There wasn't really much to sync. It even left a shortcut link on the desktop. So that didn't go well.

So then I tried another factory reset, this time following Hazel123's well written instructions here.

When I got offered the local account signup after entering the command, setting a password required 3 passwords hints so I just did it without password. When I got to desktop, onedrive was there but it wasn't logged in. So no syncing. So i pressed settings/account in onedrive and then unlink from pc... and that just takes you to a screen to login to onedrive. I guess since its not been linked yet. So then I just uninstalled it. So it never logged in or synced. So I did a lot of setting up... not much windows updates.. and then I took a macrium image of the local account.

So then i signed into a microsoft account instead. No sign of onedrive so far. I'll finish setting up and putting files on and if all good i'll take an image.

I noticed looking in OneDrive folder in user that there are no folders in it. It's just an empty folder. So hopefully that should be good. Thanks.