OneDrive deleted local files and started syncing old files !

I found my files. 

They were in C:\Users\Username\Onedrive - Companyname\Desktop

I am happy the files are back. Yet. What the heck?

Just to recap:

1. I got corrupt files from OneDrive to an extent that I had to use CHKDSK to be able to delete them

2. I moved the files into a normal ntfs folder on C:\
3. everything worked fine for about three weeks
4. I try to launch the game today, and I see the icon on the task bar is missing.
5. I navigate to my C:\Games folder just to realise, that all files are gone but some that were created after moving the folder. Also the folder structure is intact.
6. I find the files in C:\Users\Username\Onedrive - Companyname\Desktop.
7. I stand in awe of microsoft incompetence.

Perhaps more regular windows users are used to this kind of stuff, but for me as a linux user it's incomprehensible how microsoft can fail you so much, even with basic file system operations.Than I remember they are mostly business developers, marketing and lawyers. Software development just isn't a mayor competence of the company.

Sorry for being cynical, but this is ridicolous. I just had a similar experience when I realised you cannot delete threads in Teams. But than on the other hand, thanks for the entertainment. Your software makes me laugh a lot. It's just bad at work, where my non-IT bosses just won't believe how such a succesful company can be so lousy.

I removed onedrive. I hope it will stay away. But this seems to be a deeper issue than just a syncing tool.

1. Uninstall one drive - I have been able to do this now.

2. Back up all files on a separate usb linked hard drive - save copies of everything on there.

3. At start up click on Onedrive/settings/unlink this PC to stop onedrive uploading everything - you can then save files to your separate hard drive. - have to do this every time you start up though.

I just had the same issue:

Luckily no work data. I had a game - dwarf fortress - on my Desktop. OneDrive already caused issue than, that I had to fix with chkdsk (**** microsoft?). So i moved it into C:\Games. All was well for a few weeks, and all of a sudden, all folders are empty. Some files - but not all - that had been created after moving it, are there. So are all the folders. But anything that was moved there from the desktop is just gone.

This is peek unreliabilty. But nothing unusual from MS.

BTW. I am an admin and no group policies affect my notebook. I have my own OU on root level, for my user and my notebook. But I am member of the domain. 

EDIT: My first issue was, that a log file of that game became corrupt because of some OneDrive syncing issues. I couldnt delete them until I ran chkdsk. How can you mess a syncing tool up so far, that it makes file system errors? 

We just went online with exchange and wanted to move to use more onedrive. Well I don't thinkt that will happen anymore. But why should you care. We pay you for E3 anyway...I really wish you will get to enjoy some antitrust moves soon, because it's only your monopoly, that allows this kind of software.

a month later I have still not been able to resolve this. All my personal files are still on the schools machines, I have stoped using one of my machines altogether and teh remaining one is still locked into onedrive and completely unable to be used offline. That sucks to not be able to edit a document on the train on my laptop, unless I save it on a thumbdrive and then copy it with a new name each time I get connected to the internet. Its a hellscape!

There must be a COMPREHENSIVE and EASY document for HOW TO UNINSTALL onedrive altogether WHILE PRESERVING all data written FOR A NORMAL USER. Step by step!

I was forced into onedrive by the school and the result is I have lost control of my data. I should not be forced to manually copy out 1.5 TB of data to external drives, reformat, and manualla copy back 1.5 TB of data afterwards. The feeling of powerlessness is threatening my sanity. fsck you ,microsoft.

This issue is actually a bad "feature" of OneDrive... In my experience, by design it will MERGE files in same-named local and cloud folders that are backed up when you use the same Microsoft Account across different computers. For example, if you use the Backup setting for your Desktop folder on computer #1, and later do the same process to a computer #2 (on your same Microsoft Account), OneDrive will MERGE the contents of both computers' Desktop folders into a single mega-combined Desktop folder - meaning that both computers will have each other's contents. This is a terrible design. This issue becomes compounded similarly with each additional computer that is added for OneDrive Backup using the same Microsoft Account!

By contrast, Dropbox's Backup syncing feature, which I now use instead, creates a unique folder structure for each computer for critical folders such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, etc.

I'm in the process of undoing the big mess created by OneDrive for three of my computers - part of which involves creating external Macrium Reflect full backups to safely preserve my files, and subsequently "unlinking" and then completely uninstalliing OneDrive from each computer. OneDrive also caused data loss when I tried to interrupt a bad syncing process. 

As has been the case with several users in this overall thread, my experience was also that the OneDrive team would not carefully read my questions and their answers were usually unrelated to the issue at hand. This was frustrating and a waste of valuable time especially since there were delays in hearing back from the OneDrive team. There really needs to be phone support so that the troubleshooting can happen during a call or two, rather than spanning days via poor email support. 

In sum, for me, OneDrive is not a product I trust whatsoever to safeguard my data. There are much better solutions available from other vendors. This is too bad because I do much like many of Microsoft's other hardware and software products; however, OneDrive needs a serious overhaul.