SHARE 'N' SINK: OneDrive corrupting Office 2013 files OneDrive users are complaining that Microsoft's sync 'n' share service corrupts Office 2013 files when they attempt to open them. Answers.microsoft.com threads like this one explain that it is impossible to open some files stored in OneDrive – Excel files seem especially susceptible – from machines other than the one that …
The new deity is expected to transcend all previous standards in the world of software, so yes, it should also be expected to transcend local holidays on whichever planet the cloud-worshippers find themselves.
I don't know when the holidays are because I don't know what planet the cloud-worshippers are on.
"The question is, why is the OS messing with the data at all?"
Indeed. I always thought OneDrive is just a bit store when used via the syncing feature, but Microsoft seems to have "added value" to it. I use OneDrive (hence the icon) but approach it with Windows7 and LibreOffice, and have not seen any corruption so far.
"content is replaced by gibberish and hexadecimal codes."
Are we sure it's not a Perl script? Maybe a slightly hexed up AMFM post?
If I had a coat, I'd get it. Thanks anyway.
ps
Are we also sure something's not just gone wrong with their disk de-duplicating, in an unforeseen way?
It does. However what the hell MS think they are doing by once again putting in vendor specific application (filetype) hacks into their remote file synchronisation service, who knows? However this is Microsoft and they have form for putting in place incredibly stupid and narrow hacks for their own applications rather than actually fixing anything or doing anything sensibly in the first place.
My guess is that it's most likely to do with ghastly hack workarounds on excel partial file locks that don't play nicely with the synchronisation code that went into W8 to underpin encrypted transmission of data to Microsoft's cloud servers. AFAIK Windows 8 has this feature built in at a lower level and Windows 7 doesn't - or at the very least, it is implemented at a non-cloud specific file system level on Win 7.
And counting down........
Who would have predicted that something like this would have happened given their long track record of proven expertise in the online hosting world...Erm, apart from me that is?
At least Excel users will have had a few days away from the horror of spreadsheets.
It seems we want to have it both ways. We don't want cloud data encrypted so that it will only work with a particular machine, and we also don't want naughty people to look at our nude pictures.
I'm sure there is an elegant tradeoff in the middle, somewhere around the Dropbox solution, but that still requires the average user to cope with an additional level of complexity, such as remembering user names and passwords and basing the encryption on them. This currently seems to be the big problem; users want complete simplicity of use, and it isn't possible to have that plus security.
Even the very basic act of delivering patches for your PC through Windows Update cannot be trusted these days. There's a good chance that one rogue patch may brick your computer.
The Windows App Store? Infested with scamware. Of course, how else would you massively inflate the number of apps and then use it to boast about gaining traction in market share?
Don't expect it to get any better, expect it to get worse. Things do not happen by coincidence, and these are symptoms of layoffs and cost cutting.
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