OneDrive Guide PDF

OneDrive is Microsoft\'s cloud storage service. It allows you to upload files and store them in Microsoft\'s OneDrive cloud. OneDrive gives you the ability to move between different computers or devices and maintain access to uploaded files, both from the cloud and locally. This lesson covers the f...

OneDrive is Microsoft\'s cloud storage service. It allows you to upload files and store them in Microsoft\'s OneDrive cloud. OneDrive gives you the ability to move between different computers or devices and maintain access to uploaded files, both from the cloud and locally. This lesson covers the following topics: - OneDrive overview - OneDrive configuration - OneDrive data access - OneDrive status **OneDrive Overview** OneDrive is built into Windows 8 and newer operating systems. It can also be installed on other devices, such as Windows 7, tablets, iPhone, and android phones, as well as on a Mac computer. To use OneDrive, you must use a Microsoft account. Signing in to your device using the Microsoft account lets you access your OneDrive files. If you don\'t want to log on using this account, you can link OneDrive to your Microsoft account and have access to the files. Since OneDrive is integrated into the Windows operating system, you can save data to your OneDrive storage directly from within Microsoft Store apps as well as from the traditional desktop applications, such as Word or Excel. You can also access your OneDrive account from File Explorer, this allows you to manage OneDrive files in the same way you would manage local files. Your OneDrive storage can also be managed from a web browser. **OneDrive Configuration** When using OneDrive, keep the following in mind: - A OneDrive account is automatically created when you set up an online Microsoft user account. - All users are given 5 GB of storage for free. - Additional storage can be purchased for a monthly fee. Pricing and plan information can be found at **https://onedrive.com**. - OneDrive offers file and folder syncing: - Any files or folders saved in the local OneDrive folders on your hard disk are automatically saved to the cloud and synchronized with any other devices using the same OneDrive account. - If enabled, OneDrive files are available offline if no internet connection is available. - To enable automatic syncing from the files stored in the cloud to your local computer/device, complete the following steps: 1. In the notification area, right-click the **OneDrive** icon and select **Settings**. 2. From the Settings page, under Files On-Demand, clear **Save space and download files as you use them**. - To configure files and folders within the OneDrive folder that will be managed by OneDrive, complete the following steps: 3. In the notification area, right-click the **OneDrive** icon and select **Settings**. 4. From the Account tab, select **Choose folders**. 5. Select the folders and files you wish to automatically sync with OneDrive. - To enable additional files and folders outside of the OneDrive folder to be managed by OneDrive, complete the following steps: 6. In the notification area, right-click the **OneDrive** icon and select **Settings**. 7. From the Backup tab, select **Manage backup**. 8. Select the folders you wish to automatically sync with OneDrive and click **Start backup**. **OneDrive Data Access** OneDrive files can be accessed using the following methods: - In File Explorer, on the Navigation pane, select **OneDrive** or navigate to **C:\\Users\\ *Username* \\OneDrive**. OneDrive files and folders that are accessed using File Explorer have the additional right-click menu options: - Share. This lets you create and share a link to the file or folder with a friend or colleague. - View online. This opens a web browser and gives you access to your data as described above. - View version history. - Always keep on this device. - Free up space. - From a web browser, use any internet-connected device to access **https://onedrive.live.com**. The web interface allows you to download, delete, move, copy, or share files. - From the OneDrive App, install and use the OneDrive app on devices such as a Mac computer or a phone, to access your OneDrive data. The features available with this app are the same as those described when using the internet. OneDrive allows you to recover files that have been deleted from your account. This is done by completing the following: 1. Access **https://onedrive.live.com** and log in to your OneDrive account. 2. Access the **Recycle Bin**. 3. Right-click the desired file and then select **Restore**. You can also select multiple files/folders and then from the menu bar, select **Restore**. With the free version of OneDrive, your files will stay in the Recycle bin anywhere from 3 to 30 days. As long as you don't exceed 10 percent of your storage, they'll stay in the Recycle bin for the full 30 days. If you're using a Premium account, your files will stay in the Recycle bin for 93 days. The OneDrive icons indicate the sync status of your files and folders. Here are the different states you might see: 1. **Blue Cloud Icon**: The file is only available online and doesn't take up space on your device. [You need an internet connection to access it^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 2. **Green Check Mark**: The file is available offline. [You can open it without an internet connection^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 3. [**Solid Green Circle with White Check Mark**: The file is marked as "Always keep on this device." It's always available offline and takes up space on your device^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 4. **Red Circle with White Cross**: There's a sync error. [The file or folder cannot be synced^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 5. **Yellow Exclamation Mark**: Your account needs attention. [There might be an issue that requires your action^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 6. [**Gray Cloud Icon**: You're not signed in, or OneDrive setup hasn't completed^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 7. **Circular Arrows**: Sync is in progress. [This includes uploading files or syncing new files from the cloud to your PC^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 8. **Paused Icon**: Syncing is paused. [You can resume syncing by selecting the icon and choosing \"Resume syncing\"^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 9. [**People Icon**: The file or folder is shared with other people^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). 10. [**Padlock Icon**: The file or folder has settings that prevent it from syncing^1^](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/what-do-the-onedrive-icons-mean-11143026-8000-44f8-aaa9-67c985aa49b3). Local Storage Disk Drive Upgrade Optimizing a hard disk drive can improve a computer\'s overall performance. The following table describes upgrade features you can use to optimize hard disk performance. Upgrade the hard disk Upgrade to the fastest disk possible. Disk drives come in a variety of rotation speeds, such as: - 5,400 RPM (not desired) - 7,200 RPM (minimum) - 10,000 RPM - 15,000 RPM Some hard drives do not use rotating disks, such as: - Solid-state drives - NVMe (nonvolatile memory express) solid-state drives - NVMe M.2 (nonvolatile memory express) solid-state drives that support NVM Express as the logical-device interface Upgrade the disk interface Upgrading a disk interface significantly improves the throughput of data to and from a disk drive. For optimal performance, consider upgrading to PCIe. This will upgrade the speed to 4,000 Mbps. **Disk Cleanup** A mostly full drive can run slower than a mostly empty one. The following table lists a few of the methods you can use to clean up a disk drive. Disk Cleanup app The Disk Cleanup app helps manage disks by locating and disposing of files that can be safely removed from the disk. It: - Empties the Recycle Bin. - Deletes temporary files such as those used by a web browser or for application installation. - Deletes installation log files. - Deletes offline files. - Compresses old files. To run Disk Cleanup, type **disk cleanup** in the Windows search box. Then select the **Disk Cleanup** app from the *Best match* list. Optimize Drives app The Optimize Drives app optimizes the performance of a hard drive by joining fragments of files that are in different locations on the hard drive. - To improve defragmentation, disable programs such as screensavers and virus software that run in the background. Any disk access (whether reading from or writing to the disk) while Disk Defragmenter is running slows down the defragmentation process. - The more information that is on the drive, the more time it will take to defragment the drive. To run Optimize Drives, type **Defrag** in the Windows search box. Select the **Defragment and Optimize Drives** app from the *Best match* list. You can also run this app as follows: 1. Open **File Explorer** and select **This PC**. 2. Right-click the **drive** you want to defragment and select **Properties**. 3. From the **Tools** tab, under *Optimize and defragment drive* , select **Optimize**. You don\'t need to defragment or optimize a solid-state drive (SSD). Although files can become fragmented on an SSD, it\'s not important to defragment them because the seek time is about 0.1ms. Check Disk\ ( **chkdsk** ) Check Disk ( **chkdsk** ) is a utility that verifies a hard disk\'s file system integrity. Errors that can be checked and fixed by Check Disk include: - Lost clusters. (These are a series of used clusters on the hard disk drive that are not associated with a specific file.) - Cross-linked files. (This occurs when two files claim the same cluster. Check Disk identifies cross-linked files and corrects the cluster associations.) - Orphaned files. (These are files that exist on the hard drive but are not associated with a directory in the index. Normally, Check Disk can re-associate the file with the correct directory.) - A bad sector. (This is a portion of the hard disk that cannot be used. Bad sectors are marked so the system doesn\'t try to use them. Any used bad sectors are redirected to another sector. You can run **chkdsk** by opening a Windows terminal and typing **Chkdsk** at the PowerShell prompt. - Use **chkdsk** with the **/f** switch to automatically fix errors without scanning for bad sectors. - Use the **/r** switch to scan and fix bad sectors and other errors. - Use the **/?** command to receive help. **File Attributes** A file *attribute* is metadata that gives certain qualities to a file when the attribute is assigned. The following table lists common NTFS file attributes. Here are some common NTFS file attributes: 1. **Archive (A)**: Indicates the file has been modified since the last backup. 2. **Compressed ©**: The file is compressed to save disk space. 3. **Directory (D)**: Identifies a directory. 4. **Encrypted (E)**: The file is encrypted for security. 5. **Hidden (H)**: The file is hidden from standard directory listings. 6. **Not Content Indexed (I)**: The file is excluded from content indexing. 7. **Offline (O)**: The file is not available locally. 8. **Read-Only ®**: The file is read-only and cannot be modified. 9. **System (S)**: The file is used by the operating system and should not be altered. 10. [**Temporary (T)**: The file is temporary and may be deleted after use^1^](https://www.urtech.ca/2017/11/solved-all-ntfs-attributes-defined/)[^2^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_attribute). These attributes help manage and organize files efficiently on an NTFS file system Be aware of the following regarding file attributes: - The FAT32 file system supports only the following attributes: R, H, S, and A. - To change file or folder attributes, edit the properties of the file or folder, or use the **Attrib** command from the command prompt. (You cannot change permissions with the **Attrib** command.) - When you copy files from an NTFS partition to a FAT32 partition, attributes not available under FAT32 do not remain with the file. - Use **Folder Options** to show protected operating system files or to show compressed or encrypted files in a different color. File Locations As you manage Windows, you should be aware of the following default locations for various system files: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **File type** **Variable** **Windows 7, 8. x, 10, and 11** -------------------------------- ----------------- ------------------------------------------------ **System files** \%systemroot%\ C:\\Windows %windir% **Fonts** n/a C:\\Windows\\Fonts **Program files** \%programfiles% C:\\Program Files\ C:\\Program Files (x86) on 64-bit systems only **User files (user profiles)** \%userprofile% C:\\Users\\ *username* **Temporary files (per user)** \%temp%\ C:\\Users\\ *username* \\AppData\\Local\\Temp %tmp% --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to the variables listed in the table above, the %systemdrive% variable identifies the drive letter where Windows is installed. **File Extensions** A complete filename is a file path combined with the name of the file. Extensions can be included in a filename to indicate a file type. The extension identifies: - What the file is - What it contains - Which program was used to create and modify the file The main types of filename systems are: - Long file names supported with FAT32, which allows 255 characters including spaces. - Unicode supported with NTFS, which allows 255 characters including all characters except for /. There are characters you should avoid per file naming conventions across different file systems. These include the following: - \< (less than) - \> (greater than) - : (colon) - / (forward slash) - \\ (backward slash) - \| (pipe or vertical bar) - \" (double quote) - \* (asterisk) - ? (question mark) Be aware of the following: - Executable files (.exe,.com) are program files that can be run. Batch files (.bat as well as other extensions) also run and execute a series of commands, but typically launch another program to interpret the commands in the batch or script file. - A file extension association identifies the program used to create a file. When you open a file that has an associated program, the program is launched, and the file is opened within the program. - When you install an application, file extension associations are created automatically for the file type that the application uses. - If you try to open a file type that is not associated with a program, you will be prompted to identify the program you want to use to open that file. - By default, Windows hides the extension for files with associations. - Use the settings in **Folder Options** to show file extensions for known file types. - To change a program association with a file extension, use **Default Programs** in **Control Panel** or edit the file\'s properties.