One drive has messed up my whole PC. How do I get my files back on my PC, and switch off one drive forever. (Please dont answer a question I did not ask)?

I have had the same problem: I arranged my computer in a manner that suits me. I changed the location of the general folders (my documents/ my pictures/ etc.) to a location that is convenient to me. When I responded to a pop-up that suggested that I backup my computer using OneDrive, this action changed all my setup and moved my files and folders. I also have the impression that it slowed my work.

When I tried to re-define the location of these folders to my preferred location I received an error message. I unlinked my computer from one drive but I was still unable to re-define the location but received the same error. The only solution was to manually change the registry keys and then manually moving all the files that OneDrive moved without my permission and even without any notification/ explanation.

Microsoft: don't call it "backup" when it does something entirely different; and don't change settings in a person's computer without first notifying him of the exact changes and then attaining his permission!

You will never know it will delete all your files until you uninstall onedrive 🤣🤣🤣

Where is a support phone number?

My files are being destroyed as I type. Why can I not find ANYTHING on line giving me someone to speak to about it?

One drive is a hot mess as is the AI forced on me every time I open windows. I turn around. Even though I paid for my own MS Office you also started putting ads in front of my email every time I opened Outlook and so I downloaded and installed Libre Office and Thunderbird for email. No commercials no forced AI. And it just works. I have several touchscreen new computers and two that use Windows 10 that you won't allow to upgrade to Windows 11 because they were a year before your arbitrary limits to upgrade to 11. One is an i7 8700T/1TB M.2 drive Dell AIOs I upgraded to 32GB RAM. I have had enough and will find good info on how to cut Co-Pilot, One Drive, and Windows from my system and then the same goes for Google cloud BS of my phone and computer files. Did y'all know that Google will still keep your data amount count even if you delete all your iles? If you have 100GB of data on google backu7p and delete them you still have 100GB against your account? And the only way to start over is to delete your Google account? I have drive docks and about 30GB of SSDs and a few 2GB and 3GB HDDs for storage. I have no use for One Drive et al.

The worst is here on the Microsoft community where amateurs post as if they know and are at best obtuse and give poor or nonsense directions as here in this thread. They never actually did it because they would then risk their own data but look it up and pass along garbage answers. I am not picking on anyone. I still have two computers with an error in trying to download a Windows security update that requires me to do some serious work in the Registry. How did they justify that screw-up and not rewrite the updates to fit or provide an automated tool to expand the size of our backup folders?????? That is not even scratching the surface of my three Surface Pro tablets with LTE and my two Surface Boos a Book and Book 3 one of which can't be upgraded to 11 either and loses security updates, as my two windows 11 systems that cannot successfully update a security update for more then a few months now with no fix.

Microsoft is getting more and more like Apple OS' under Jobs. who pretended all was well and they just work which they did not for a great percentage of their users who thought it was their fault because once the news cycle was over they denied any hardware or software flaws and vulnerabilities to attack.

I am going to try Linux Mint with the Cinnamon UI on my Dell i7 AIO and MY Surface Book i7 that is not allowed to upgrade, and if I can get it to work with my touchscreen systems will get rid of Microsoft completely, then try Linux on my Surface Tablets and move them over too.. As well I just bought an Android tablet The Galaxy Tab S9 FE just try it, as my Amazon Fire Tablets do not allow the Play store. My phone is a Pixel 8 Pro so that will be in line since Microsoft axed their Windows phones right after we bought two Lumia 710s.

So I will try Linux and Chrome OS on my ineligible to upgrade to 11 machines that are current and powerful, and on one of my Surface Pro tablets. I f I can get them to run smoothly I can bail on Microsoft completely, as they did on me and my 2017 and 2018 i7 machines, phones, and security updates on my Windows 11 machines!!!

I too just wanted to get rid of OneDrive and Microsoft, I think intentionally, makes that a dangerous endeavor and unclear on how, or even if that is possible to do safely. I have been doping Microsoft PCs since 1981 when they first came out, DOS and then DRDOS then back to MSDOS then Windows 3.1/Windows 95 and MS Office 95 in the USAF and doing IT work for my squadron and keeping up at home. If I am having issues it has indeed gotten very bad with MS and might be intentionally to boot.

Thank you all for your responses. I feel the frustrations! I haven't even been able to deal with sorting it out completely as too stressful and already spent a night sorting my work laptop which had suddenly filled with my PC desktop files as One Drive decided to snatch and grab all my personal files.

A good idea as mentioned above to use an external hard drive going forward. I will go and find the one i have somewhere and sort this. Ive had to prepare myself to do it over the summer. Not impressed!