Windows 11 laptop's "desktop" over network shows incorrect items/folders.

I have three Win 11 machines on my home network, a Desktop, Laptop, and Surface Pro 8. Which shows up at any give time on each machine's network is erratic, but more confusing is that when I try to navigate to the "desktop" of the laptop,

\\Laptop\c\Users\Muser\Desktop

from EITHER the Surface or Desktop, it does not show what is actually on the laptop's "desktop." It shows the contents of a folder that had been on that desktop, but was moved to a data drive. I can't comprehend how this could happen? Navigating to other folders or attached drives show what is actually there.

Thoughts?

Are you sharing / synchronizing the \Desktop folder to a OneDrive account on any of those machines?

Hmm? I try not to, but on the Win 11 install on this laptop, there was some onedrive shenanigans. I do not uses Onedrive, and do not want to. However, after the Win 11 install it seemed to be enabled, and messeged me that "onedrive is nearly full, buy more space." At times I see "onedrive" as part of folder paths. However, I disconnected it and now it shows this.

CalypsoArt said:

Hmm? I try not to, but on the Win 11 install on this laptop, there was some onedrive shenanigans. I do not uses Onedrive, and do not want to. However, after the Win 11 install it seemed to be enabled, and messeged me that "onedrive is nearly full, buy more space." At times I see "onedrive" as part of folder paths. However, I disconnected it and now it shows this.

Click to expand...

Disconnected it? Check the laptop to make sure it is still not shared in OneDrive in the background - because it sounds like that is exactly what is happening. The path you supply is the default path for \Desktop when not being shared to OneDrive. But when it is, it usually ends up something like

c:\Users\Muser\OneDrive\Desktop

And thus the original path you use is actually no longer updated by the OS, and shows old, not seen anymore information.

In OneDrive application (yes, run it temporarily), go to settings, then click on Manage Backup button, and finally make sure desktop is unchecked (and since you don't want to use it at all, make sure all are unchecked).

Close settings, then exit out of OneDrive, then check Settings --> Apps --> Startup apps and make sure Onedrive is not set to run automatically anymore (it may have added itself back in after it updated).

johnlgalt said:

In OneDrive application (yes, run it temporarily), go to settings, then click on Manage Backup button, and finally make sure desktop is unchecked (and since you don't want to use it at all, make sure all are unchecked).

Click to expand...

I can't find this nowhere. When I started onedrive it began syncing. I paused that. But whether started from the tray icon, or from Start, the setting available do not have a Manage Backup button.

I might have a newer version than you installed, mine looks very different than it used to.

I think in settings you have tabs? I cannot remember how they go, but one of the tabs should have the place to do so - but it might have been a menu on the OneDrive context menu itself.

It's very, very different on my system, using Material UI and no longer the old, XP-looking dialog box.







If you still have the old style XP-dialog box, post the screen shot - there is definitely a way to find that (you have to be logged in, IIRC, and if you're not, then that means my theory on the folder being shared is wrong - have to be logged in to share as well).

First, thanks for you efforts. I had nothing like what you show. Searching for options were folders are selected for backup produced nothing. At no time in the win 11 install did backup questions arise. As a last effort, I just uninstalled Onedrive. It's gone but the problem persists. The path you gave above "c:\Users\Muser\OneDrive\Desktop" is correct. that is where all my desktop stuff is. What If I deleted that folder? Or is this deeper that than and Ondrive is written into every path?

Do I need to install it again to I have options. going to onedrive via web also does not give me the option to deselect folders.

JohnGalt,
I reinstalled Onedrive and got the options to select what folders to back up. I deselected everything, and now the desktop works as expected. Thanks for your help. I would have never known to look into the Onedrive.

All the best.

OneDrive is installed by default with Windows 11, and by default, IIRC, it automatically tries to set up sync everything it can (used to be just Pictures, Desktop and Documents, I just today noticed it had (finally!) added Music and Videos) if you log in with a Microsoft account - and can cause problems down the road, as you ran into, when it all of a sudden cannot log in, but still wants to sync, etc.

Good thinking on uninstalling and then reinstalling, saved a lot of back and forth trying to figure this out. And glad you got it working again, to boot!