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David T.36's avatar
David T.36
Collaborator | Level 8
8 years ago
Solved

Every time I open a Powerpoint file I get an error message from DB for no reason

I have powerpoints in unshared, regular folders that are synced to Dropbox as I've always done before. But now when I open the files (without moving them at all), I get a message If you move this fil...
desktop
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Mobile
Share
sync
Third Party Integrations
Anonymous's avatar
Anonymous
8 years ago

I am getting this too under similar circumstances. I have a script that overwrites an existing text file, and when it does, a little window pops up saying "If you move this file to (the folder it currently resides in), it won't be available in Dropbox or on any devices."

I am on 55.4.171. It started I believe within the past week.

Lusil's avatar
Lusil
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
8 years ago
Hey there anonymous!
 
Could you please first check for any symlinks in any of your devices running the desktop app?Please note that we strongly recommend against methods that add referenced files (such as symlinks or networked folders) to the Dropbox folder. 
 
Since using reference files can cause quota usage disparities or other syncing issues, removing them is one of the first steps that are recommended before proceeding with troubleshooting. 
 
Let me know what you find! :slight_smile:
  • Anonymous's avatar
    Anonymous
    8 years ago

    Hi Lusil,

    You are correct -- the whole directory is a symbolic link (and always has been). It hasn't caused quota issues in the past because sometimes the files I put in that directory push it over the quota and I get a warning or temporarily locked from using Dropbox.

    The reason I use symbolic links is I have a directory structure on my computer (basically my whole development environment) that I'd like to preserve without moving everything in the Dropbox folder. I only need access to a small subset of those files on multiple computers, hence the link to that directory.

    Do you think this is the problem? Why did I (and others) just start getting this message? More importantly, what can I do about it?

    Thanks,

    Michael 

    • Lusil's avatar
      Lusil
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      8 years ago
      Since we don’t fully support symlinks as they can cause issues various issues and irregularities at any point in time, in order to further investigate, one of the first troubleshooting steps is removing them.  
       
      If you’re still experiencing the same issue even after that, please send us a screenshot of the message so as to have a clearer image of your concern. 
       
      Thanks in advance, Michael, aka anonymous! :nerd:
  • David T.36's avatar
    David T.36
    Collaborator | Level 8
    8 years ago
    I rely on symlinks and indeed that’s the main reason for my using Dropbox since it was always supported, officially or not. What fixed things was to remove the folder in question from Dropbox then re-add it to where it was originally. I was also advised by DB support to revert from the beta. I did that as well but had corrected the issue with the first step. Yeah, officially you don’t support symbolic links but they do work and should.

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