Microsoft Onedrive is one of the best cloud file storage services, such as Dropbox and Google Drive, which allows you to synchronize files in an online space so that you can access them from any PC. In addition to this, Onedrive has a really useful feature that allows you to access all the PC files via the internet, in a simple way, as if you were configuring a file server. Basically, in addition to the possibility of being able to upload files to a web space so that they are always synchronized and identical from any computer you access them, you can also make sure that all the files of a PC are available via the internet to be downloaded and used on other computers and smartphones, even if these files are not included in the folders configured in Microsoft Onedrive.
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Onedrive works, therefore, in two different ways :
In its main activity , it synchronizes the files loaded in the Onedrive folders, so that these files are always the same whatever PC you use. Therefore, if a document is modified or if a photo is deleted from the folder, the modification will be replicated in all the other PCs configured with your Microsoft Onedrive account. Any files placed in the Onedrive folders are also uploaded online and become available on the internet.
As a secondary activity, it is possible to have Onedrive project all the computer files on the network so that it can be accessed remotely, via the Internet, from any other PC or smartphone . Our PCs can therefore become file servers and all files including documents, photos and even internal system files can be downloaded from other locations. In this case, however, the files are not copied online in the cloud space, but accessible and visible only if that PC remains on.
To use this function it is necessary to open the settings of the Onedrive program .
Onedrive is already included in Windows 10 so just look for it in the Start menu to open it (which then should already be started and active).
For Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 you must instead download the Onedrive program and install it.
Once Onedrive has started, you will see its cloud icon in the system tray, at the bottom right next to the clock (if you don't see it, press the up arrow).
Press the icon with the right mouse button to open the settings.
From the settings, go to the Account tab and activate the option " allow me to use Onedrive to recover files from this PC ".
Now open www.onedrive.com and access the site with the same Microsoft account used in configuring Onedrive. From the Onedrive website, note, on the left side, that there is a section called PC with our computer's name underneath. Click on it to see all the folders on the PC: disks and partitions, the Desktop, the Documents, the photos, the music and everything.
From the buttons at the top right, after opening one of the folders, you can choose the list view and the sorting of the files by name or last modification. Any file on your PC can be downloaded from other devices.
Only the first time you use this function, you may need to authorize access to your PC with a validation code. If you see multiple PCs listed, it may have been used in the past so they can be removed. This file recovery function can be activated on all PCs that can be accessed with your Microsoft account, where the Onedrive program is installed. The files can only be downloaded if the indicated PC is switched on and connected to the internet . Obviously no one else will be able to download the files of our PCs if they don't have the Microsoft account password.
By right-clicking on the various files, you can download it to your computer or upload it to Onedrive to include it in the synchronized folders and automatically copy it to all the PCs on which Onedrive is configured. The only exceptions are image and video files that can be downloaded or even viewed directly, without having to download it. The videos open in streaming, which is very convenient for opening videos and films saved on the PC even from a smartphone or tablet, via the internet .
