This summer, ETS will be completing the transition of all remaining content from individual Windows home folders (\\files.uvm.edu\home\netid) to Microsoft OneDrive for Business, with the ultimate goal of decommissioning our Windows home storage servers by the end of 2024. Click here to read the announcement.
The majority of UVM affiliates have already been migrated and are enjoying the benefits of using OneDrive, including access to their UVM files from off campus without the VPN, significantly expanded storage space, and better syncing of their files and folders between devices.
If your data is yet to be migrated to OneDrive, you will receive an email over the summer notifying of the migration date. The information and troubleshooting steps below should help prepare you for your migration.
This process will mark your Windows home folder as read only, but will not delete your files from the server.
Preparing for the Migration
macOS Users
If you are a macOS user with no UVM-owned, domain-joined Windows computer that you regularly use, the only preparation required is to ensure you have installed and logged into Microsoft OneDrive.
Follow these instructions for installing and getting started with Microsoft OneDrive for Business.
Windows Users
If you regularly come to campus and connect to the UVM wireless or wired networks on your domain-joined Windows computer, you should be a good state for the transition to OneDrive.
Check for conflicts in Sync Center
Microsoft’s Sync Center keeps track of the changes you make locally on your computer, synchronizing them with the copies in your Windows home folder.
- Press the Windows key, then search for and open Sync Center.
- Select View sync conflicts and review any errors.
- For each conflict, right-click the file and select View options. Windows will provide information about the files in conflict and provide options for addressing the conflict
If you’re unsure how to address a conflict, contact the UVM Tech Team. Read more about managing Sync Center conflicts here.
Confirm your current folder redirection status
- Open File Explorer by clicking on the folder icon on the bottom of your screen, or by pressing Windows () + E
- In the Quick Access tab on the left side of the window, right-click on Documents and choose Properties from the menu that appears.
- Select Location from the menu near the top of the resulting window.
- If you see UVM OneDrive in this window, you’re already using OneDrive
- If you see winfiles.campus.ad.uvm.edu in this window, you’re still using your Windows home folder.
Install and sign into Microsoft OneDrive for Business
Click here for our guide on signing in and getting started with OneDrive.
You can also access your OneDrive files from www.onedrive.com. Be sure to sign in with your UVM account.
FAQ & Troubleshooting
I'm missing a file from both my Windows home folder and OneDrive
Your Windows home folder is marked Read only, then the contents of that folder are copied to your OneDrive under the “FilesFromWinhome” folder.
Files in your old Windows home folder are backed up on a daily basis for 90 days, then on a monthly basis for 9 months. If you are missing a file, please contact the UVM Tech Team.
In your request, be sure to include:
- The name of the file
- Where the file was located
- The date and time when you last recall seeing the file
Relocate files out of FilesFromWinHome
To prevent potential file conflicts, users’ Windows Home Folder data was migrated to a folder within their OneDrive called ‘FilesFromWinHome.’
If you want files to be accessible from the Documents folder at the root of your OneDrive, please copy them out of FilesFromWinHome/MyDocs to your Documents folder. If you do not have a Documents folder in the root of your OneDrive, copy the FilesFromWinHome/MyDocs folder to your OneDrive root directory and rename the folder to ‘Documents.’
Unsynced Items in Sync Center
As part of the migration process, some off-campus users may experience “Sync Center” errors if files in MyDocs were modified after the MyDocs folder was marked Read Only but before the user had connected to the campus network to sync the change.
Check for Sync Errors:
- Open Control Panel
- In the top right search box, search for Sync Center.
- If any conflicts exist, they will appear here:
What to do about a failed sync?:
Navigate to the conflicting file in Explorer. Copy it into your OneDrive > Documents folder (or another folder of your choice).