Here is another example why I switched to Apple for my primary computer needs. If you are not familiar with OneDrive, it is Microsoft’s cloud storage solution. Its one of many on the market today…and I used to hold it in high regards as stated here in the past.
Back when I only used a PC and a Windows laptop, I switched to Office 365 for $10 a month and got unlimited OneDrive cloud storage. And it worked well on both devices. So far, so good.
Then, when I bought my iMac, I installed the MAC version of OneDrive. Instead of waiting for my files to download from the cloud, I copied them over from the to the MAC. After a while, I began noticing that OneDrive was running slow and was missing new files created on the MAC. One one occasion, I waited 3 weeks for files to move into the cloud, but it never happened.
Finally I used a browser connected to the cloud to drag and drop the missing files from my computer…that worked quite well. But that is not how OneDrive is supposed to work. It is all supposed to be automatic. It was on the PC, but not the MAC.
Last week, I used that same drag and drop method to send a new file to OneDrive. Then I turned my PC on to see how fast the PC would download the file from OneDrive. When I got it up and running, the new file had already been downloaded. That is crazy!
After doing some research, I found many, many other MAC users that complained of similar problems. My own son and a good friend are also having OneDrive problems. But, wait, there is more.
A couple of days ago, I noticed a great many of my photos had been duplicated in my OneDrive folder on both my PC and MAC. That was weird. After some investigation, I discovered hundreds and hundreds of duplicate photos, even in the folders that hold my quality photos from my Nikon and Sony DSLR cameras.
A little more investigation revealed how it all happened. I had my Windows Samsung laptop running for a few days to do some Windows updates and install some new software. Even though the MacBook Pro is my laptop of choice now, I keep the Samsung up-to-date.
Anyway, using OneDrive on the Samsung, it had downloaded many photos I had taken since the last time it was on. Fine, that is what it is supposed to do. But instead of stopping there, it sent all of my photos back up to OneDrive, thereby creating all these duplicates. Those duplicates, in turn, came back down to all my computers.
It took quite a while to hunt down the duplicates on both computers and get rid of them. But I also had to do it in the OneDrive cloud, so the duplication would not repeat itself. Thanks Microsoft for ruining my day.
So here is what I am doing now. OneDrive is turned off on all computers for now. All my data is backed up on multiple external drives, with one of the drives kept off-site. But I do want a cloud solution also. I currently am trying a program called “CrashPlan”, free to try for 30 days. It is backing up all my data to the cloud and is supposed to continually update it as new files are created. We shall see how it works out.
Thanks for letting me rant on about this issue, and I hope you find it useful. But, lets get on with the business of the day. Here is the latest news plus some good computing tips to hopefully make your life better. -JRC
Tech News and Opinions
Opinion: Can Windows 10 save the PC?
New versions of Windows usually generate a new PC sales bonanza, but don't expect such a big bump with the arrival of Windows 10, due sometime this summer.
Microsoft will bypass carriers, push Windows 10 updates directly to phones
One of the biggest arguments against Android is the issue of fragmentation. And while the debate rages as to whether fragmentation is that big of a deal, it’s apparently an issue that Microsoft wants to sidestep entirely with Windows 10.
Microsoft reiterates no Windows 10 free upgrade for Non-Genuine users
The definitive statement is in: Microsoft will not be offering consumers who are running Non-Genuine versions of Windows 7 and 8.1 a free upgrade to Windows 10 for the first year the operating system is available.
Windows as a Service Requires More Trust Than Microsoft May Deserve
It’s about getting as many customers as possible up to date with bug fixes, security patches, and new features. It’s a laudable goal. The question is whether Microsoft has earned the trust it needs for individuals, businesses, and other organizations to put the fate of their personal computing devices in its hands.
A quarter million Europeans have asked Google to forget them
It’s been a year since the EU’s Court of Justice ruled that Google and other search engines must give Europeans the ability to request that information about them be removed from search results. The number of requests has been staggering.
Computer Tips and Tricks
Magical Chrome extension puts tabs to sleep so they don't kill your browser
One of users' biggest gripes with Chrome is its tendency to suck memory and slow down computers when tabs are left open. A new Chrome extension fixes this by temporarily suspending any tabs you're not using.
You should be using these browser extensions to keep yourself safe online
You might not know it, but every website you visit is using one or more “trackers” to follow your browsing habits around the Web and learn more about you — usually as a means to show you advertising or learn about your lifestyle.
I backed up 24,280 photos to Google Drive. What happened next blew my mind
Google reached into the depths of an overwhelmingly large photo library, identified some highlights, and put them together in a way that surprised and delighted me.
Flickr, Google Photos, Photobucket and more: Which photo storage service is right for you?
Find out which photo-sharing and storage site best suits your needs with this deep dive into the top online photo services.
CPU Showdown: Intel Core i3 vs. i5
Which processor is better, Intel Core i3 or Core i5? We drill down on the differences between the two CPU models, and what it means for you and your next PC.
Mobile Computing
25 iOS Secret Features You Likely Didn’t Know About
Nowadays iOS is feature rich, so much so that we’re willing to bet that there are quite a few things hidden within iOS that lots of people don’t know even exist.
Shuffle’s New iPhone App Lets You Create Disposable Phone Numbers…And Emails, Too
Instead of posting your private cell number to the web, or sharing it with others you’ve only just met, for example, Burner lets you set up virtual phone numbers that work with your mobile device so you can still call and text without giving up your privacy.
Wolfram has created a website that will identify any image you throw at it
Stephen Wolfram's latest search tool is impressive. It's designed to identify anything in a picture. You just upload a photo, and get a computer-generated guess just a few seconds later. And it learns as you do it.
The 7 best iPhone widgets you should be using
There are widgets to provide you with calendar information, games, and even tools to show you how much memory your iPhone is using.
7 best Android apps to transfer files from Android to PC
There are actually quite a few ways to transfer files from Android to PC (and back again) and we’ll take a look at them here.
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