RSSMicrosoft bug deletes files instead of sharing them
By Ed Oswald | Published December 11, 2007, 2:03 PM
The company's FolderShare application is intended to allow customers to synchronize files across multiple machines, but a bug has ended up deleting them.
According to a statement from Microsoft sent to users of the service, an issue with FolderShare deleted files that contained special characters, such as trademark signs, accents and tildas, and the like.
The company has asked that users do not empty their FolderShare trash folders until they have verified they had not been affected by the issue. The problem occurred over a three day period from December 3 to 6, it said.
Microsoft said it had fixed the issue, however it wanted to alert users to the problem to prevent any lost data. In some cases, the folder containing the files may have been deleted as well, and the company said affected users would have to recreate that folder.
"We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this problem has caused," Microsoft said in the letter. "We have corrected the source of the problem and have taken steps to help prevent this from happening again."
While a small bug most likely affecting more users outside of the US market due to its nature, the problem is nonetheless an embarrassing one for the Redmond company. Still a nascent and very competitive market, blunders such as this could cripple a service's growth.
"Losing user trust from hiccups like this will only help [Microsoft's competitors to gain] market share," Michael Arrington wrote for TechCrunch. "Perhaps, like FolderShare, Microsoft will eventually buy one or more of them, too."
FolderShare is one of Microsoft's best kept secrets. I'd be lost without it.
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|We are sorry to inform you that FolderShare deleted your XP installation and installed Vista Basics. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this problem has caused.
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|big oops. Nice to see that MS coders are paying attention hahaha
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|That'll teach them not to outsource.... [smiles]
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|"While a small bug most likely affecting more users outside of the US market due to its nature..."
This suggests that they probably should have outsourced it. Developers "outside the US market" would've likely caught it before hand.
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|Actually, they didn't. MSFT aquired FolderShare from another company and for the past 3 (or 4?) years have done very little in terms of touching the code base. They have enhanced the servers, but in terms of client code, they haven't done very much at all from when the service was first aquired.
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|Sounds like a nightly news pitch... "The city water in town is laced with poison! How can you tell if your neighborhood is affected? We'll tell you more, tomorrow at 6, stay tuned!"
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|lol. all the M$ drones bash Apple for a similar bug, are now posting how this is nothing. ROFLMAO!
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|Why hello, Troll!
How've you been? Long time no see. I'd *love* to say I missed you, but...
Yeah....right.
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|His point hits a little to close to home huh. "laughs"
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|You know. Talking to yourself like that is a sign of serious mental problems....
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|Awww...joined by his Anti-MS lapdogs.
How cute.
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|That was funny.
Really.
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|No, you're funny, and not funny haha either.....
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|Don't you mean anti-M$ laptops? You're the (What did the communists call them? Oh, yeah...) running dog.
BTW, have you outsourced your family yet?
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|You jumped through the hoop very well monkey, keep it up. You are entertainment for everyone hahaha
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|Microsoft, works just like a filthy dustbin to the human blowflies who just love to hate it.
Grow up kiddies.
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|Ouch, the stupid, it burns! Ignore the ignorant troll, folks. He'll make 54 more posts before this is over. BetaNews needs a plonk feature for these Microsoft trolls. They're all getting ready to vote for mike hukyabee next month!
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|Exactly.
Get someone there who actually doesn't pander to their stupidity and they swarm.
Perfect example above.
Someone should be playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" int he background. Even good ol' Zaine showed up to impress us with his cut & paste skills.
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|Well this bug affected a small portion of users for 4 days. How about Mac OS 10.5 on-going file-copy bug where they nuke the entire source folder if the copy aborts mid-stream?
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|That's already fixed with 10.5.1.
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