The first round is over. And on the various Socila Media channels I have received countless answers. Some wrote that the question had not been formulated exactly. That’s right. But like this or similar, I get questions via Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or email. Here again the question and the choice of answers

Question #01

A File, which is synchronizing with OneDrive for Business, will be selected by a User in Windows Explorer and deleted with SHIFT-DEL. Is this File lost forever?

Answer A

The file can be recovered from the recycle bin of the computer

Answer B

The file can only be restored from the server-based recycle bin.

Answer C

Since there is no local backup, the file is irretrievably lost

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With the answer C you were wrong. The question mentioned that the file is synced to OneDrive for Business. And about the process, was / is, the file has already arrived in the cloud, one may argue.

Who typed A, was wrong. When a file is deleted using the shortcut SHIFT DEL, it will be deleted immediately. Without being moved to the "local" paper basket. This also applies to files that are displayed in Files OnDemand with "Only available in the Claud" and are deleted by the user. However, because the file was synced with OneDrive For Business, a command is sent to the SharePoint Site Collection, which moves the file to the Recycle Bin of the SharePoint Collection OneDrive for Business. This is also described in detail here. It is also interesting to note how long the data remains in the OneDrive recycle bin.

The answer B was correct. What’s also interesting is what happens if the file is deleted while the computer has no Internet or the Next Generation Sync Client (OneDrive.exe) is not started or paused. The file is deleted without being moved to the trash of the device. If the pause mode is canceled or the computer has Internet again, it is determined during the synchronization, the file was deleted and the file is then also moved to the recycle bin of OneDrive for Business.

The question is also what happens if I have several computers and the file was synchronized on several computers. Then, the following is done

1. File is executed on the device on the SHIFT DEL we deleted immediately.
2. File is moved to the folder in OneDrive for Business
3. Next computer: File is deleted and moves to the local paper basket
4. Next computer: …

This brings me to the note from your replies, "the file should always be restored from the server-based wastebasket of OneDrive for Business", and not from the local recycle bin?

If versioning is not switched off, a new version is written each time the file is edited. The Windows Explorer or the Apple variant of File Finder are the representation layer of SharePoint / OneDrive for Business. The files in Windows Explorer / File Finder are always the latest version. If a file is restored from the local recycle bin, only the "last" version will be restored. All older versions are lost. If we restore from the OneDrive for Business Recycle Bin, "all" versions will be restored.

Last but not least: file has been deleted. And let’s say it’s an Office file like Word, Excel or PowerPoint. If we launch the Office application and the file appears in the list, Office is so smart that the file is opened, but with the note that the file has been deleted, moved or renamed. Please save the file as a copy. But here too the previous versions are lost.

 

Thank you for the many feedbacks partly with explanations. You see deleting and deleting is a difference.

Soon next question 2 follows ….