“Can't open the file because the file format/extension is not valid.” error on website/desktop app.

Nancy, Your 1st request: screenshot of DB website when trying to open a file. I picked the file  “2024 Futures Trading.xlsx” because this file opens perfectly on Laptop 2 

Upon seeing this message, I hit the Download button and something did download but here is a screen shot tell me about file extension. 

Your 2nd request:  right-click on one of your files on the desktop app. As you can see, there is an option to make the file available offline, or online-only. 

As a side note, if it is relevant, in regard to Hannah’s question about the system tray. Even though the Dropbox App was launched from the Start Menu, the icon is not present on the System Tray.

I receive an email that my last post is delayed. I'm going to attempt to post it again shortly.

Hey Mitz1​, let me jump in here!

You mentioned throughout this thread that some of the files appear to have zero size placeholders. However, it's important to point out that on your screenshots it looks like the content has an actual size. 

Can you send me a screenshot, and let me know where exactly these files appear as 0 size? Does this happen when you visit your account online, or locally? 

In addition to that, it seems that some of the files have a double extension. Can you try removing the last one, and check if anything changes after that? 

One more thing to note is that Excel has a built-in tool used to fix corrupted files called "Open and Repair". I think it'd be useful to give this one a go too, while you're at it.

As a last step, I'd suggest that you move some of these example files outside of your Dropbox folder (you can try moving them to your Desktop) and see if the behavior remains the same.

In any case, I'll be waiting for your updates! 

Hello Megan, thank you for jumping in.

Regarding the zero place holders. Yes, the screen shot I took does show files sizes. This is very confusing to me and I’m going to try to recall what happened. At some point over the weekend when I was working to recover files, I’m pretty sure that all the file sizes were zero, Or it may have been that I couldn’t even see any files. On Monday, with the help of a friend I was able to bring back my file list. When I tried opening a file from that list, I got an error message saying I was out of memory. I checked my records and found I had renewed my Dropbox Plus subscription last June. I bought the new subscription anyway hoping that it would allow me to recover my files. That didn’t work.

Regarding file extensions. Yes, they appear to have changed, but only on my primary computer. On my second computer, the HP, they open fine…except for files created sometime around mid-January (which don’t even show up on the HP). I also tried downloading some files and changing the extension but that didn’t work either.

Regarding Excel “Open and Repair”, as I’ve stated, the files open perfectly on my HP computer.

Regarding moving the files. I am in the process of copying the files from my HP.

A sync problem happened sometime in January when the files created on my primary computer were not showing up in Dropbox on my Computer 2, the HP. That is why I tried to resync in the first place.

I use a program everyday called Tradestation to track charts and keep notes. Every time I make a change to a chart, I need to save and it overrides the previous version. Unfortunately, for years now, I have been saving these files on Dropbox, so when I open Tradestation it looks for the file to open up. Those files took me years to accumulate. And now, it appears they are gone.

I appreciate your help. Let me know what other information I can provide.

Don [removed]

[removed]

[personal info removed per the Dropbox Community Guidelines]

Thanks for the update, Don, it is a pretty strange situation.

One more thing I'd like you to check is the syncing icon next to the files that are not opening; are the files set to "online-only"?

If so, can you right-click on them, choose "make available offline" and then try to open them to see if that makes a difference?

Hannah, in response to your post. I cannot tell for sure if they are set to “online-only”.  I hope you can see from this screen shot that an option to “make available offline” is not available.

Don

Hi Mitz1, the green icon next to the files indicates that they are already available offline. 

Is this only occurring for the Excel files? Are they only for files in this folder, or does it occur for new files that you create within the Dropbox folder?

Regarding the message about being out of memory, are you referring to the Dropbox site, or the computer itself saying there's not enough storage space?

 Jay,

 Regarding the green icons. Most of these files are available on my computer 2 the HP Desktop Dropbox App. However, this screen shot is from my primary computer and NONE of these files open from the Dropbox App on this computer.

Using the Dropbox Web, NO files open on either machine.

I’ve tried to explain this before, but any files created or saved on my primary computer after around mid-January, only show up on this primary computer Dropbox App. I can not see them on any Web site or my computer 2 App. This is the reason I attempted to resync over the weekend.

It’s not just some Excel files. I use a program called Tradestation. When I create a workspace in that program, it must be saved. Many of these .tsw files were saved after mid-January and are also corrupt.

When you save an existing workspace, it saves over the previous version.

I only have two or three Excel files that were saved after mid-January and they are shown on primary computers’ desktop App, but they of course don’t open. There are very important files to me.

On Monday when I was first able to recover the file list on my primary computer desktop App, I had high hopes that they had been recovered. When I tried to open a file, I got a message from Dropbox that said that I was out of Dropbox memory and that I could upgrade my Dropbox memory for an additional charge from Dropbox of $119.88  I had already renewed my Dropbox Plus account last June, but I followed the instructions and bought it anyway. BTW, I was not even close to being out of Dropbox memory. My primary computer has over 300 GB storage space available.

No files created or saved after mid-January will open. I don’t have an exact date in January when this first happened.

I hope you can help me recover my corruupt files.

Don

To all concerned. Here is what I believe is happening.

On my  primary computer the Falcon, Dropbox is not running at all. The sync engine doesn't seem to launch, so the app cannot verify the file status and the files do not open. The Dropbox folder itself opens and lists all the files including the most recent ones I'm trying to recover.

On every computer I own, the Dropbox web app also fails to open any files.

On my secondary computer 2, (the HP) the Dropbox desktop app does run, and I can open most of my files there. However, the most recent files do not appear on that machine at all.

From my secondary computer 2 (the HP) I have been able to download and save all the files that still exist in Dropbox, except for those most recent ones. Those files appear in the Dropbox folder on the Falcon, but they do not open anywhere (Falcon, HP, or Dropbox.com).

At this point, I’m simply trying to get Dropbox reinstalled and running again on the Falcon. I understand that the most recent files are likely unrecoverable, and I’ve accepted that. I just need help getting the Dropbox app working again on my primary computer.
Thank you. Don

Thanks for the updates, Don.

I completely understand where you're coming from, I would be frustrated if this happened to me as well.

Regarding the Dropbox app, have you tried simply reinstalling it, without uninstalling it first?

And as for your files, if you upload them to the website from the second computer, are you able to open them?

Hopefully, the reinstall will also fix the syncing issue on the Falcon too, but let me know how it goes.