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Forum Discussion

Tek Nomad's avatar
Tek Nomad
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago

How to STOP Dropbox from deleting files on my computer if I delete them from DB?

I am a new user and while setting up to backup my Mac pictures folder, a really TERRIFYING notice popped up. It stated that if I delete any pictures from DB then those would also be deleted from my c...
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desktop
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Hannah's avatar
Hannah
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago
Sorry to jump in here, Tek Nomad.

At the moment, where are you able to access and open your desktop files from? Your Dropbox folder?

If so, and since computer backup is disabled, you are free to move them back to their original locations.

Once that's done, you can move to your Dropbox folder only the files you want to have on Dropbox.
Tek Nomad's avatar
Tek Nomad
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago

Thanks very much, Hannah. I appreciate the reply. 

What I simply DO NOT understand is why DB moved my files/folders in the first place. 

This seems like a really convoluted way to do syncing. 

My Mac Time Machine simply backs up the system—period. No fuss, no muss, no worries!

This is one heck of a hassle! Not to mention worrying about anything "missing" (as in buried somewhere) on my large drive. 

 

Thanks again! 

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    4 years ago
    Not a problem and I do understand where you're coming from.

    I will definitely pass your feedback and comments to our team.

    If you need anything else, make sure to let us know.

    Have a great weekend!
  • Tek Nomad's avatar
    Tek Nomad
    Explorer | Level 4
    4 years ago

    Hannah Walter Jay 

    Hi All: Apologies for the delay in replying; been very busy.

    I appreciate your help!

     

    I moved my files out of DB and tried to recall how things were arranged on my Mac, with aliases, etc.

    So, what I have discovered is that DB has totally screwed up my external drive back-up function via Time Machine. I suppose this is because of all the files and folders that were moved. Therefore, Time Machine had to back-up the whole drive, which took many hours, but less time than DB, instead of merely syncing, because it couldn’t find the files.

     

    IMHO—this is a TERRIBLE flaw in the DB system!

    I will disable any auto back-ups from DB and move whatever files I need to secure manually. That is a real problem because, it takes time.

    I hope that DB will address this issue ASAP.

     

    Thanks again for all of your help!

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