Solved OneDrive Setup on Windows 10/11 is ridiculous!!!


It was there when I did a clean install a few months ago. And I've been running 22H2 since release last year.

I'm running the RTM version, NOT Insiders. I also don't do VMs.

Wonder if @Brink knows if this is a recent change or not?
Hmmmm, I'm going to run through the install again. I'm using the 22H2 release that I got from the media creation site back in Sept of 2022.

I don't use VM's for long term, I mostly set them up for testing something or running a quick test. Like this install, rather than repeating it on an actual machine, I'll just spin up a VM and see how it goes.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Setting up again. I'm using the Media Creation Windows 11 22H2 release from Sept of 2022.

Hyper-V Vm, 8GB of RAM, Generation 2. Connected to Internet.
Installed using no product key, as this VM will live for only about 20 minutes.
Installed Windows 11 Pro
Named my device
Selected Setup for Personal Use
Added my Microsoft Account
It saw my other device on this account, so I choose to Setup as a new Device.
It asks me to create a PIN
Privacy settings came up, I accepted defaults
It then gave me options to tick about how I plan to use my device, I hit skip
It asks me to use my Android phone from my PC, I said skip.
It offered a free trial of office365. I said decline
It offered me 100GB more cloud storage space, as I said decline.
It offered me a month of PC Game Pass for $9.99, I said Skip for Now.
It checked for updates
It started the Hi, Getting things ready for you, building my profile screen.
It brought me into my desktop.

Never said anything about being able to store my files only on the PC.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
On a personal note @Dru2, I do not know what I have said in the past that got me on your bad side. It must have been something from the very first post I made on this forum because ever since your attitude towards me usually comes across as either hostile or condescending whenever our points of view differ, as they sometimes will. But, whatever it was, I sincerely apologize.
@glasskuter, You don't need to apologize to me because I never felt like you did anything to me. I'm sorry to have given you that impression.

That said, I'm just answering the posts. And if it seems my comments are aimed at you, yeah, because you're the loudest voice. It ain't personal.

And I've been at this PC / Windows thing for a long time, and the reason I remain is because I embrace technology. And with that, I also have an opinion. Again, nothing personal.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (Build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel Core 9 Ultra
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z890 Xtreme AI Top
    Memory
    64G (4x16) DDR5 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (6400Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    4 Samsung NVM 990 Pro drives: 1 X 1TB (OS) 2X TB, 1 X 1TB.
    PSU
    Seasonic TX-1300 (1300 Watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair Link Titan 280 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1TB Download. 512mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise
Setting up again. I'm using the Media Creation Windows 11 22H2 release from Sept of 2022.

Hyper-V Vm, 8GB of RAM, Generation 2. Connected to Internet.
Installed using no product key, as this VM will live for only about 20 minutes.
Installed Windows 11 Pro
Named my device
Selected Setup for Personal Use
Added my Microsoft Account
It saw my other device on this account, so I choose to Setup as a new Device.
It asks me to create a PIN
Privacy settings came up, I accepted defaults
It then gave me options to tick about how I plan to use my device, I hit skip
It asks me to use my Android phone from my PC, I said skip.
It offered a free trial of office365. I said decline
It offered me 100GB more cloud storage space, as I said decline.
It offered me a month of PC Game Pass for $9.99, I said Skip for Now.
It checked for updates
It started the Hi, Getting things ready for you, building my profile screen.
It brought me into my desktop.

Never said anything about being able to store my files only on the PC.
So much for OneDrive yessayers mobbing help seeking individuals of being mindless clickers and what not (n)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro
Hmmmm, I'm going to run through the install again. I'm using the 22H2 release that I got from the media creation site back in Sept of 2022.
@cereberus pointed it out the difference - Microsoft Account you get it, Local Account, you don't. But that makes sense on a local machine because you aren't being signed into any Microsoft services where an account is needed. OneDrive requires sign-in. Hence the "no option".
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (Build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel Core 9 Ultra
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z890 Xtreme AI Top
    Memory
    64G (4x16) DDR5 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (6400Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    4 Samsung NVM 990 Pro drives: 1 X 1TB (OS) 2X TB, 1 X 1TB.
    PSU
    Seasonic TX-1300 (1300 Watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair Link Titan 280 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1TB Download. 512mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise
The last time I went through OOBE on a Windows11 22h2 laptop, that "only save files to this PC" was no longer there.

The post was mean to be flippant; you know..funny HaHa. I am capable of reading the screenshot for myself and see an option is not found. I wasn't asking a question.

On a personal note @Dru2, I do not know what I have said in the past that got me on your bad side. It must have been something from the very first post I made on this forum because ever since your attitude towards me usually comes across as either hostile or condescending whenever our points of view differ, as they sometimes will. But, whatever it was, I sincerely apologize. Know that I truly respect your knowledge and experience and always appreciate you sharing it. My own may not be as extensive, but I do try. As such, I feel my opinions have as much worth as anyone else's. I strive to be respectful of yours and everyone else's whenever our views differ. If I am ever not, please let me know.
As I said above, you only see the option if setting up with an MS account.

Unless you state what type of account you were using using oobe, your statement that the link was not there may or may not be true - hence pointless without proper context.

The link is definitely there, and to be fair is more obvious in Windows 11. In Windows 10, it was even more obscure.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
Setting up again. I'm using the Media Creation Windows 11 22H2 release from Sept of 2022.

Hyper-V Vm, 8GB of RAM, Generation 2. Connected to Internet.
Installed using no product key, as this VM will live for only about 20 minutes.
Installed Windows 11 Pro
Named my device
Selected Setup for Personal Use
Added my Microsoft Account
It saw my other device on this account, so I choose to Setup as a new Device.
It asks me to create a PIN
Privacy settings came up, I accepted defaults
It then gave me options to tick about how I plan to use my device, I hit skip
It asks me to use my Android phone from my PC, I said skip.
It offered a free trial of office365. I said decline
It offered me 100GB more cloud storage space, as I said decline.
It offered me a month of PC Game Pass for $9.99, I said Skip for Now.
It checked for updates
It started the Hi, Getting things ready for you, building my profile screen.
It brought me into my desktop.

Never said anything about being able to store my files only on the PC.
Were you installing Home or Pro in vm?

I do not get options to install test of office 365, gamepass etc. when installing Pro.

Something funny is going on here if it is Pro.

My vms are activated as well.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
Yes, exactly as @pparks1 says when setting up Home OOB with MS Account.. I've seen it on 2 brand new laps and one reset and keep nothing. All were Home.
Thank you pparks for going to so much trouble to test this.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.3775
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 7080
    CPU
    i9-10900 10 core 20 threads
    Motherboard
    DELL 0J37VM
    Memory
    32 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    none-Intel UHD Graphics 630
    Sound Card
    Integrated Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1tb Solidigm m.2 nvme+256gb SKHynix m.2 nvme /External drives 512gb Samsung m.2 sata+1tb Kingston m2.nvme+ 4gb Solidigm nvme
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell Premium
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Internet Speed
    so slow I'm too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    #1 Edge #2 Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender+MWB Premium
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 26100.3775
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 9020
    CPU
    i7-4770
    Motherboard
    stock Dell
    Memory
    24 gb
    Graphics card(s)
    integrated
    Sound Card
    integrated
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Benq 27
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    256 gb Toshiba BG4 M.2 NVE SSB and 1 tb hdd
    PSU
    500w
    Case
    MT
    Cooling
    Dell factory
    Mouse
    Logitech wireless
    Keyboard
    Logitech wired
    Internet Speed
    still too embarrassed to tell
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
Yes, exactly as @pparks1 says when setting up Home OOB with MS Account.. I've seen it on 2 brand new laps and one reset and keep nothing. All were Home.
Thank you pparks for going to so much trouble to test this.
Well, I just tested it for Home, and I got this screen

1683203216083.png

The only thing I can think of is whether pc vendors have set a registry edit that bypasses this screen in oobe ($ from MS).

They do this with device encryption. So oobe from a new pc may well not show this screen, I suppose. Equally with reset, same could happen.

I am 100% certain that the screen shows in Home or Pro if using the standard download iso from MS and an MS account - I have tested it twice just to make sure.

I smell a sneaky move by (some) oem vendors (presumably at MS behest)?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro + Win11 Canary VM.
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    ASUS Zenbook 14
    CPU
    I9 13th gen i9-13900H 2.60 GHZ
    Motherboard
    Yep, Laptop has one.
    Memory
    16 GB soldered
    Graphics Card(s)
    Integrated Intel Iris XE
    Sound Card
    Realtek built in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop OLED screen
    Screen Resolution
    2880x1800 touchscreen
    Hard Drives
    1 TB NVME SSD (only weakness is only one slot)
    PSU
    Internal + 65W thunderbolt USB4 charger
    Case
    Yep, got one
    Cooling
    Stella Artois (UK pint cans - 568 ml) - extra cost.
    Keyboard
    Built in UK keybd
    Mouse
    Bluetooth , wireless dongled, wired
    Internet Speed
    900 mbs (ethernet), wifi 6 typical 350-450 mb/s both up and down
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    TPM 2.0, 2xUSB4 thunderbolt, 1xUsb3 (usb a), 1xUsb-c, hdmi out, 3.5 mm audio out/in combo, ASUS backlit trackpad (inc. switchable number pad)

    Macrium Reflect Home V8
    Office 365 Family (6 users each 1TB onedrive space)
    Hyper-V (a vm runs almost as fast as my older laptop)
@cereberus pointed it out the difference - Microsoft Account you get it, Local Account, you don't. But that makes sense on a local machine because you aren't being signed into any Microsoft services where an account is needed. OneDrive requires sign-in. Hence the "no option".
I was installing using a Microsoft Account.

Were you installing Home or Pro in vm?

I do not get options to install test of office 365, gamepass etc. when installing Pro.

Something funny is going on here if it is Pro.

My vms are activated as well.

I was installing Windows 11 Pro. And I was using a brand spanking new Microsoft account that I setup purely for testing and playing around with logging on with a Microsoft account.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Patient: Doctor, It hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Don't do that.

I much preferred to spend $50 on a 1TB drive and backup to it. No MS involvement, No complicated set up, No worries.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W11 Home v. 23H2 bld. 22631.44602
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP ENVY/TE01-3254
    CPU
    Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core
    Motherboard
    The Mother Of All Boards
    Memory
    16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 770
    Sound Card
    internal, 5.1 Surround Sound
    Monitor(s) Displays
    AOC 22", mdl: 2269W
    Screen Resolution
    1280x1080
    Hard Drives
    1 internal- 1 TB SSD, 1 internal-1 TB SATA HDD, 1 USB external- 256GB SATA HDD, 2 USB external- 1 TB SATA HDD
    PSU
    310 watts
    Case
    HP ENVY
    Cooling
    Air, three internal fans
    Keyboard
    HP wireless
    Mouse
    HP wireless
    Internet Speed
    200+ Mb/sec Local Cable Gateway, Netgear R6400 bridged router, PC ethernet connection to Modem/Route
    Browser
    FireFox v.113.0.2, Chrome v.112.0.5615.121
    Antivirus
    Norton360 w/LifeLock
    Other Info
    4 USB 2.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.1 Type A Ports, 1 USB 3.0 Type C Port, 2 M.2 Slots
    Macrium Reflect v.8.0.7279
Patient: Doctor, It hurts when I do this.
Doctor: Don't do that.

I much preferred to spend $50 on a 1TB drive and backup to it. No MS involvement, No complicated set up, No worries.
Yes, as long as one of your backup methods is offsite, there are no worries.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 9640
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 7467 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16.3 inch 4K+ OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    960 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
I just tested again using Windows 11 Home and had the same experience.

Windows 11 VM, on Hyper-V, connected to Internet, 8GB of RAM, 2 CPU's and TPM enabled
Booted from the Windows 11 ISO from Sept of 2022, 22H2.
Installed using no product key, as this VM will live for only about 20 minutes.
Installed Windows 11 Home
Named my device
Selected Setup for Personal Use
Got to this screen to sign in with my Microsoft account and Signed in with my account

1683212820952.png

It saw my other device on this account, , and I didn't want to restore from a previous VM, so I clicked on View More options.

1683212879583.png

I choose to setup as a new device.

1683213014488.png

I got the accept screen for the privacy settings and I just accepted what was there.

1683213072903.png

Here was the screenshot for customizing my experience.

1683213104995.png

Here was the Android setup question.

1683213135371.png

Here was my Free Offer for Office 365.

1683213167148.png


And my option for paying for more storage

1683213196397.png

Then my game pass option.

1683213223550.png


After that, i hit the Hi, Getting things ready for you, building my profile screen.

Clearly, with the same product, and different Microsoft Accounts, and getting updates during the install process itself, and using a product key or not, we all seem to have different experiences.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
I much preferred to spend $50 on a 1TB drive and backup to it. No MS involvement, No complicated set up, No worries.
Everybody has different wants or needs.

There are many naysayers of the cloud, and people who hate subscriptions. I'm totally fine with people who have these opinions. On the flip side though, there are lots of blatent statements of "Office 365 is overpriced for what it is", or "it's much better to buy a cheap key and just be done with it, don't pay monthly"

As you stated above, you prefer to just spend $$ on a hard drive and handle it all on your own. That's your preference and it's cool. I too have an 8TB external drive in the house that I use to store Macrium images of machines. (but in all honestly, this is more for convenience for me, and not critical....so offsite isn't too big of a priority for me...and my images take up lots of space and I don't have enough upload bandwidth from my ISP to make it practical.

But some of us have other preferences. Getting to our files from other locations, backing up photos and videos from our cell phones, having our data in a remote location in the event that our computer is lost, stolen or burns to the ground. For me, OneDrive covers these desires better than a stand-alone hard drive in my house. OneDrive isn't universally bad, but it may just not be the technology for your particular needs.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
Reading from the posts I see there are clearly two kinds of users. Who use and like OneDrive because is useful to them. And there is the other group , who does not use OneDrive (including me). And both views for me are fine.

It's all OK, the thing that happens to me is the fact that OneDrive was designed to work entwined with the OS. Should be an standalone application. Why it appears as shortcuts in Home within File Explorer is that bothers me. For a new Windows installation it's the same old story. If you don't pay attention you'll be storing inadvertently in OneDrive folders, and in a moment you will realize that you filled all the space.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 7i 16IRX9
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-14900HX
    Motherboard
    LENOVO LNVNB161216 Chipset HM 770
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics, NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop
    Sound Card
    Realtek in-built
    Screen Resolution
    3200x2000 200% Scale
    Hard Drives
    C: HDD 1 TB SAMSUNG MZVL21T0HCLR-00BL2
    D: HDD 1 TB CRUCIAL CT1000P3PSSD8
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Free
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 3Gen Extreme
    CPU
    I7 10750H
    Motherboard
    Intel MW-490
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD - NVIDIA 1650 Ti Max-Q
    Sound Card
    Realtek in-built
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 225% Scale
    Hard Drives
    C: WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-1T00-1001 (1 TB)
    D: KINGSTON SNV2S2000G (2 TB)
    Antivirus
    BitDefender
It's all OK, the thing that happens to me is the fact that OneDrive was designed to work entwined with the OS. Should be an standalone application. Why it appears as shortcuts in Home within File Explorer is that bothers me. For a new Windows installation it's the same old story. If you don't pay attention you'll be storing inadvertently in OneDrive folders, and in a moment you will realize that you filled all the space.
I do see why you like the concept of the stand-alone application. I do think from Microsoft's viewpoint, the benefit they have from storing your documents, your desktop, and your pictures in the cloud is that they are providing a safeguard to users who aren't diligent about doing their own backups. So I see value in both types of configurations.

There is a legitimate concern that with a free account only getting 5GB of cloud space could certainly fill up. Probably not so much from the My Documents part, but rather from files stored on the desktop, or that pictures folder. Pictures can chew up a lot of space fast. There is an option for $1.99 a month to get 100GB of space. For those who aren't diligent about doing backups, $24 a year to have their documents and pictures in another location might be worthwhile. If not, they can always move their data out of those locations and store them on C:\]data instead (or whatever folder they create).
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
I do see why you like the concept of the stand-alone application. I do think from Microsoft's viewpoint, the benefit they have from storing your documents, your desktop, and your pictures in the cloud is that they are providing a safeguard to users who aren't diligent about doing their own backups. So I see value in both types of configurations.

There is a legitimate concern that with a free account only getting 5GB of cloud space could certainly fill up. Probably not so much from the My Documents part, but rather from files stored on the desktop, or that pictures folder. Pictures can chew up a lot of space fast. There is an option for $1.99 a month to get 100GB of space. For those who aren't diligent about doing backups, $24 a year to have their documents and pictures in another location might be worthwhile. If not, they can always move their data out of those locations and store them on C:\]data instead (or whatever folder they create).
I choose to subscribe to Microsoft 365. A $69/year subscription to Microsoft 365 gets you 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive and all of Microsoft Office.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 16 9640
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
    Memory
    32GB LPDDR5x 7467 MT/s
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 8GB GDDR6
    Monitor(s) Displays
    16.3 inch 4K+ OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2400
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    None
    Internet Speed
    960 Mbps Netgear Mesh + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Microsoft Sysinternals Suite
    Microsoft BitLocker
    Microsoft Copilot
    Macrium Reflect X subscription
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    1Password Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle for PC
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
Unfortunately not all the users cares about their personal information until they lost it.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Legion 7i 16IRX9
    CPU
    Intel Core i9-14900HX
    Motherboard
    LENOVO LNVNB161216 Chipset HM 770
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics, NVIDIA RTX 4070 Laptop
    Sound Card
    Realtek in-built
    Screen Resolution
    3200x2000 200% Scale
    Hard Drives
    C: HDD 1 TB SAMSUNG MZVL21T0HCLR-00BL2
    D: HDD 1 TB CRUCIAL CT1000P3PSSD8
    Antivirus
    BitDefender Free
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 3Gen Extreme
    CPU
    I7 10750H
    Motherboard
    Intel MW-490
    Memory
    32 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel UHD - NVIDIA 1650 Ti Max-Q
    Sound Card
    Realtek in-built
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 225% Scale
    Hard Drives
    C: WDC PC SN730 SDBQNTY-1T00-1001 (1 TB)
    D: KINGSTON SNV2S2000G (2 TB)
    Antivirus
    BitDefender
I choose to subscribe to Microsoft 365. A $69/year subscription to Microsoft 365 gets you 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive and all of Microsoft Office.
I too have Microsoft 365. Had it for about 6 years. I have the $99 family plan, but with a discount from work, I get it for $69 a year with 6 accounts and 1TB each. It's a no-brainer for me for all that storage. I'm using about 150GB of my 1TB. So, plenty more space available.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Beelink SEI8
    CPU
    Intel Core i5-8279u
    Motherboard
    AZW SEI
    Memory
    32GB DDR4 2666Mhz
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel Iris Plus 655
    Sound Card
    Intel SST
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Asus ProArt PA278QV
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    512GB NVMe
    PSU
    NA
    Case
    NA
    Cooling
    NA
    Keyboard
    NA
    Mouse
    NA
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Mini PC used for testing Windows 11.
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Ryzen 9 5900x
    Motherboard
    Asus Rog Strix X570-E Gaming
    Memory
    64GB DDR4-3600
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA GeForce 3080 FT3 Ultra
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ASUS TUF Gaming VG27AQ. ASUS ProArt Display PA278QV 27” WQHD
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    2TB WD SN850 PCI-E Gen 4 NVMe
    2TB Sandisk Ultra 2.5" SATA SSD
    PSU
    Seasonic Focus 850
    Case
    Fractal Meshify S2 in White
    Cooling
    Dark Rock Pro CPU cooler, 3 x 140mm case fans
    Mouse
    Logitech G9 Laser Mouse
    Keyboard
    Corsiar K65 RGB Lux
    Internet Speed
    500/50
    Browser
    Chrome
    Antivirus
    Defender.
I choose to subscribe to Microsoft 365. A $69/year subscription to Microsoft 365 gets you 1 Terabyte of cloud OneDrive and all of Microsoft Office.
I actually don't use OneDrive for "backup" purposes, but rather a convenient way to access files accross my various PCs, to also include my Android phone with the OneDrive app.

If I'm in class working on a project from my laptop, I just drop the files in the OneDrive folder and access from my desktop without ever having to touch the laptop.

I have backup provisions (to include cloud) but I don't rely on OneDrive as there's not enough space. But yes, whatever is in the OneDrive folder is backed up to the cloud, so that's a side bonus for how I use OneDrive.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro 24H2 (Build 26100.3476)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom built
    CPU
    Intel Core 9 Ultra
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte Aorus Z890 Xtreme AI Top
    Memory
    64G (4x16) DDR5 Corsair RGB Dominator Platinum (6400Mhz)
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon (XFX MERC 310) RX 7900XT
    Sound Card
    Onboard (ESS Sabre HiFi using Realtek drivers)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27-inch Eizo Color Edge - CG2700X
    Screen Resolution
    3840 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    4 Samsung NVM 990 Pro drives: 1 X 1TB (OS) 2X TB, 1 X 1TB.
    PSU
    Seasonic TX-1300 (1300 Watts)
    Case
    Cooler Master H500M
    Cooling
    Corsair Link Titan 280 RX RGB
    Keyboard
    Logitech Craft
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1TB Download. 512mb Upload
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    System used for gaming, photography, music, school.
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro 23H2 (Build 22631.4391)
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon (Gen 12)
    CPU
    Intel Core Ultra 7 165U vPro® Processor
    Motherboard
    Vendor
    Memory
    32 GB LPDDR5X-6400MHz (Soldered)
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel Graphics
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    14" 2.8K OLED, Anti Reflection, Touch, HDR 500, 400 nits, 120Hz
    Screen Resolution
    2880 x 1800
    Hard Drives
    1 TB SSD M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 Performance TLC Opal
    PSU
    Vendor
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Vapor Chamber Cooling
    Mouse
    Touchpad: Haptic Touchpad
    Keyboard
    Backlit, Black with Fingerprint Reader and WWAN
    Internet Speed
    100MB
    Browser
    Edge Chromium
    Antivirus
    Windows Security
    Other Info
    202. Build Your Own laptop.
    vPro Certified Model: vPro Enterprise

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