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Deleted files due to external drive getting disconnected
1. It looks like the external drive where I keep the local copies of my Dropbox files got disconnected.
2. This caused a number of files to get deleted from the Dropbox server and from all local copies on other machines.
3. I read up on this issue online and I can confirm that this the cause was the unmounting of the external drive.
4. Now I am restoring the files to the server using the Dropbox "undelete" option.
5. This has been looking good. The files are almost all back on the server (perhaps 10% left to go).
6. However, when I re-plug the external drive and Dropbox starts syncing again, it restarts deleting files from the server.
I don't understand step 6. How can I prevent this from happening? Note that the file path to the external drive hasn't changed from before the crash.
Can someone help me out?
Thanks.
Drago
Hi dragomirradev, unfortunately when working with your Dropbox folder on an external drive that's always a possibility.
We can’t guarantee perfect functionality of the Dropbox app if you’re running it on an external drive. For the Dropbox application to work properly, I’d recommend that you install it on the hard drive of your Operating System.
This is because Dropbox can’t always work correctly if the Dropbox folder becomes inaccessible, and this can happen if it's located on an external drive.
I'll forward your feedback to the appropriate areas so we can continue to improve.
41 Replies
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- No help at all. Dropbox have been ignoring this fundamental flaw for years now. They don’t seem to care about it so I’m in the process of changing suppliers
- Rich
Super User II
eusdawb wrote:
What's the point of using Dropbox to backup my priceless family history if it is deleted due to a hard drive failure? That's the whole reason I'm using a cloud backup!
But Dropbox, as you're using it, isn't a backup service. It's a file synchronization service that mirrors anything that happens locally to your account online (don't confuse this core functionality with the Backup feature, which operates differently). Add a file to the Dropbox folder and it's uploaded. Delete a file from the Dropbox folder and it's deleted online. That's the main purpose for Dropbox.
If you're just using the local Dropbox folder and relying on the sync process as your backup, then you're getting a false sense of security because file sync is not a backup. Use the Backup feature linked above, or use a proper cloud backup service.
That said, I agree that Dropbox has a lot of work to do in how it handles the loss of the local Dropbox folder, but this is precisely while it's strongly suggested that you not store Dropbox on an external drive.
- Just to reiterate - for Mac users in particular - because of the inability to expand the internal HD (it is now hardwired onto the mainboard these days) external drives become the go to solution. I just don’t get why Dropbox cant implement a safety mechanism that can swing into action on an external drive disconnection - to confirm before it goes ahead and deletes all files…..
It makes Dropbox Teams a major liability for Mac based studios using it for Sync. - Precisely this above. In a design studio where one job could fill your hard drive, external drives are the only option. Or spend all day selecting online-only/local files. Not exactly productive.
And if you have a disgruntled employee - all they need to do is unplug the dropbox drive on the way out and your business is toast for many hours (or longer depending on how well dropbox staff aided restoration goes)
It's ridiculous to think we'd want our dropbox folder on the same drive as our OS. Too many performance and storage size issues.
- billgdbx
Dropbox Engineer
Updating this thread: we recently released some fixes for issues found in the external drive disconnection case (version v200 of Desktop client and above). We'd be interested in hearing whether issues are still persisting for anyone who had been affected previously.
- Can you be a bit more specific about the changes ? (Or point to the release notes for the client)
- billgdbx
The fixes were to a fairly arcane internal issue which would have affected a few, but not all external drive users. We had a difficult time reproducing the issue until we inserted some artificial failures to mimic certain possible end user scenarios I (things along the lines of "operation X happens to be in flight when the drive is disconnected"). Release notes are here, but you won't find a ton of detail in them.
- Will have to set up some tests - given the downside of removal and possible nearly instant complete deletion of a dropbox account’s contents - not something I can try with a live team account to see what happens……
