Probably, it is not necessary to say that the developer of Windows operating systems - Microsoft Corporation - is trying to constantly improve its software products. So many users, starting with OS versions 8 and 8.1, have encountered the OneDrive service. What is it now will be considered. Moreover, many people know this service from previous versions of Windows, there it was called somewhat differently.
OneDrive: what is it?
So, for starters, let's see what this service is (or a service, if you want). To understand the interpretation of OneDrive (what kind of program it is), you should have at least a superficial understanding of the so-called “cloud storage” that is gaining popularity recently. But, in essence, OneDrive is such.
True, unlike other similar services, this service has a number of rather interesting features. But first things first.
History of origin and development
In general, the OneDrive “cloud” as an independent service appeared in February 2014 after renaming an almost similar SkyDrive service (it was launched back in 2007), which originally belonged to the range of online services provided to users of Microsoft’s Windows operating systems, previously known as Windows Live Name.
Most interestingly, the renaming of the service was just the result of a lawsuit by the British company British Sky Broadcasting Group. But he himself remained virtually unchanged in terms of functionality.
Key Features of OneDrive
Now more about the capabilities of OneDrive. What is this program, and why is it needed? As mentioned above, this is precisely the “cloud storage”, which previously provided users of systems on a remote server, starting with Vista, 7 GB of free storage space for storing files, then, however, the volume was reduced to 1 GB.
But a bit later users became available 15 GB on a remote server, and registered users of the "eight" (those who have a Microsoft account and use the official system update packages) - 25 GB. To date, 50 GB is available for storing personal information after registration. And, allegedly, this is not the limit.
The fact is that you can buy the right place by paying a certain amount for its use. In this regard, Microsoft did not change its principles. However, this situation today is observed with almost all “cloud” services, which first provide users with the minimum amount of space on a remote server, and then, when there is not enough space, they offer to pay for its increase. True, and this raises the question of the appropriateness of the purchase, especially if the user uses the service only for working with office documents or pictures. Naturally, if you put a video there (and even the highest resolution), then certainly there will not be enough space. However, this is already a problem for each specific user.
Information storage and work with documents
As for the main functionality, OneDrive storage, as well as any other service of this type, allows you to upload files of any type to a remote server (this will not surprise anyone now).
But here is what really pleases users who use this service on a daily basis, the procedure for uploading files to the server, again, compared to other repositories (if the corresponding client is not installed), is simplified as much as possible. The fact is that the OneDrive own client is already integrated into the system, more precisely, into the standard Windows Explorer. As already understood, you can simply copy or drag the necessary objects into the service area in the "Explorer". Downloading will occur almost instantly (of course, subject to an uninterrupted Internet connection).
Moreover, the OneDrive cloud itself has a number of interesting features. It turns out that using this service, you can not only exchange office documents between users connected to the service and having shared access to certain folders. Thanks to the support of Office Web Apps, directly when working with the OneDrive application, you can view most of the well-known formats that correspond to office programs (Word, Excel, Power Point, etc.). In addition, there is support for viewing PDF and ODF documents, although, unfortunately, their search function is completely absent.
No less interesting opportunity is the creation of office documents online. Moreover, if the OneDrive folder has a shared attribute for several users, editing of such documents can be performed by all users.
Separately, it is worth noting the presence of synchronization by the Hotmail mail service and the Bing search engine. In the second case, you can even save the Bing search history to the repository.
Synchronization with operating systems other than stationary versions of Windows
Now for the other, equally interesting side of OneDrive. What is it from the point of view of synchronization with other systems, it is not difficult to understand if we take into account the fact that access to the storage can be obtained even from the mobile systems Android, iOS, MeeGo, Symbian and, naturally, with Windows Phone, not counting the full support access even from Xbox consoles.
The only thing that is required is the installation of a special client, the presence of an Internet connection at the time of access and entry using your own login and password. Thanks to this approach, Microsoft has managed to significantly increase the number of users of the "cloud".
However, not all owners of stationary Windows systems like using this service. Firstly, it constantly hangs at startup and even when the service is turned off, it synchronizes files and folders with storage. And secondly, the disk space from this is clearly reduced. That is why the legitimate question arises: how to disable OneDrive in the system? We are not talking about uninstalling the program, although this can be done.
How to disable OneDrive in Windows by editing Group Policy
Regarding disabling this service, you can use several basic methods. Each of them acts, in general, in the same way, but first we will focus on the use of editing Group Policy settings. For example, take Windows 8, although in the same "top ten" actions will be absolutely identical.
To do this, use the gpedit.msc command in the Run menu or call the computer configuration from the main menu, where in the root settings we go first to the administrative templates, and then to the system components. It simply selects the OneDrive section. When you open the settings, a window appears in which you must select a ban on saving files in the "cloud", and then confirm your choice.
Disabling OneDrive through the registry
Now let's see how to disable OneDrive using the registry. This is just as easy. First, we access the editor using the regedit command, which is entered either in the Run menu or when it is called up via the Win + R keys.
Next, you will need to go through the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch, through the Software section, to the Policies subfolder, where through Microsoft settings and then Windows get to SkyDrive.
Now at the end on the right, use RMB (right click) and create a DWORD parameter, call it DisableFileSync, open and set the value to “1”. It remains to exit the registry editor and reboot the system.
Reset directly to OneDrive
In order not to delve into the system settings, and even more so in the system registry, you can do even easier.
We go into the computer settings, select the OneDrive section, and then go directly to the file storage. There is a line for saving documents by default. Just put the switch in the off position, that's all.
How to remove the program for cloud storage, and is it worth it?
Simple shutdown is not enough for many users. Let's see how to remove OneDrive. But it’s worth mentioning right away that this service cannot be restored. You can only reinstall it if you reinstall Windows. Removal actions are recommended to be applied only if the given service is really not used on the local computer or is simply not needed.
So how to remove OneDrive? This is not so simple, but possible. First, you should complete the process, and not from the "Task Manager", but from the command line, where the combination taskkill / f / im OneDrive.exe is entered. Now, if there is a 32-bit system, use% SystemRoot% \ System32 \ OneDriveSetup.exe / uninstall from the same command line, and% SystemRoot% \ SysWOW64 \ OneDriveSetup.exe / uninstall for systems with 64-bit architecture. After that, we reboot the terminal, and the storage problem disappears.
You can also delete the directory with files to clear disk space. The OneDrive folder by default is located on the path C: \ Users \, where the user’s name and the OneDrive subsection follow in the address. This can be done, by the way, even with a simple shutdown of a service, without even using its complete removal.
Conclusion
Here, in fact, all the basic information regarding the OneDrive service. What is it, we more or less understood. In general capabilities and functions, too, I think, everything is clear. But on the issue of disabling or removing a service, it is still recommended to disable it, and not delete it. But you never know what situation may arise when you need quick access to the "cloud storage", and at the lowest cost on time?
So think a hundred times before making a final decision, because you can restore the service in only one way - by completely reinstalling the system. And no rollbacks to the checkpoint will help here. On the other hand, if you are using any official client for access not from Windows, but from some other device, you don’t need to use such a service on your computer.