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I get an error message that Windows System Restore failed?
Hi
When I run Windows System Restore it fails with this error message
System Restore failed to replace the file (D:\Users\*******\Dropbox\.dropbox.cache\qebcobkqbgbzfynfuwbof\placeholder.bat) wit...
Hi everyone,
We're testing out some changes in v182 (currently in beta) that should hopefully help with this. Let us know if you continue to run into problems.
Thanks
It's April 2023!!
I just found out about this bug/issue, so I'm not able to recover my Windows 11 state from a Restore Point.
This is very sad news!!
How is it possible that this is still an issue since 2019!?!.... 🤯
Dropbox should have released an update that forces the regkey change to exclude the folder automatically by default!
Maybe add a toggle button for people who still wish to take their chance by not excluding it? And some info next to the toggle button explaining the possible risks/issues with creating Restore Points.
Lol, this is still an issue. Unbelievable.
Boycott DropBox forever.
i have the same problem now.. cant make my windows system restore, i need help as windows update destroyed my computer and now i cant get back because of dropbox!!!!
BenDBXCommunity Manager
Hi Everybody,
Thanks to everyone who has reported this. We are currently investigating this system restore issue and require a bit more information from affected users.
Does this error message completely prevent system restore? Has anyone been able to proceed with the system restore in spite of the error message?
For those who cannot proceed with the restore after receiving the error message, does the system restore simply fail/quit as a result of the error?
If anyone has been able to proceed with the system restore after receiving this error message, how has the restore affected your Dropbox files?
Regards,
Ben
It's been 4.5 years since this issue was reported - is there really not enough info here? Does Dropbox not have a QA department?
On reflection, that would explain a lot, and really reinforces that I need to stop using this product....
- No one has been able to restore their system except those who manually edit their regedit to remove the Dropbox folder from their system restore.
However for the average user this is way too difficult.
When the issue happens your system is bricked. You have to do a full re-install of Windows to proceed. Hi Ben, to answer the questions:
1. Does this error message completely prevent system restore? Has anyone been able to proceed with the system restore in spite of the error message?
A: Yes, the error completely prevents system restore. The restore point file is useless. If the computer is unable to boot, then a complete OS wipe and install is required to get running again.
2. For those who cannot proceed with the restore after receiving the error message, does the system restore simply fail/quit as a result of the error?
A: Yes, system restore fails and quits. No system restore is possible, unless there is a restore point that was made PRIOR to the installation of Dropbox.
3. If anyone has been able to proceed with the system restore after receiving this error message, how has the restore affected your Dropbox files?
A: Nobody has been able to proceed with system restore under normal circumstances. It has been reported that a registry edit prior to creation of a restore point will enable the user to create a restore point that works temporarily. However, when the restore point is overwritten with a more recent one, the registry file causes a problem again. The only solution would be to manually create restore points every week or after any system updates.
I've submitted the issue to Microsoft via the Feedback Hub, but there has not been any response.
Hi Ben
Confirm Greg0422 reply is correct - I’ve never been able to run a system restore since I first raised this issue
My only work around is to make regular system images and use these if I need to go back to a previous version. Very time consuming but does ensure that I can return to a previous version
If you are actually looking at this then that would be really good
Also the accepted answer at the start of the thread isnt correct - it didnt work and should be removed
- BenDBX
Hi greg0422 Mrtatemyballs and RicPennell,
Thanks for your quick reply, and for confirming that this is the case. The team investigating this issue requested that we confirm that system restore was failing entirely, and this info will help us move forward with a resolution.
Richard P.44 You're right. I have removed this as an accepted answer.
I will update this thread when I have more information!
Regards,
Ben
Hi Ben,
I have just run some tests, and this issue might not affect Windows 11. At any rate, I wasn't able to repro the issue on Windows 11.
I'm in the process of testing on Windows 10. I need to install all the updates first to see if Microsoft has fixed it in an update.
I initially had the issue on a Windows 10 computer.
Ah great, just found out that apparently I ran into a major bug that apparently was dormant in dropbox since years. Just wanted to recover with a system restore point from a bricked windows 10 (probably due to an update or so) just to realize, that the restore point is blocked by drobox...
I hope you'll also find a recovery method for computers that are bricked!- At least it looks like Dropbox gives a crap now — hope they come through.
Maybe windows 11 bailed them out though.
Will be interested to see what happens haendy-freak I hate to say this, but I was unable to find a way to edit the restore point and remove the incompatible file.
That means that you can't use the restore point. If you don't have an earlier restore point before Dropbox was installed, and you can't boot the computer, I'm afraid your computer will require a clean install of the OS. This is what happened to me and I worked with devs at Microsoft (where I also work).
I ran some further tests and the problem isn't showing on the latest build of Windows 10 either - which is 22H2.
Can someone who is having the problem please respond and mention the version of Windows you are running?
To see the version, just run "Winver" or type winver at a command prompt. You can also type just "ver" at a command prompt.
If you can't get a command prompt because your computer is bricked, reply and say whether or not you've been installing all the Windows updates. If you haven't done this, then that's likely why you still have the problem. Windows seems to have fixed it in Windows 11 and then back-ported it to the most current version of Windows 10. But you need to be running the current version to get the fix...
- Hi Greg
I'll come back with my Win version, but I did find that restore would work immediately after saving a restore point, but wouldn't after using the computer for a couple of days
I haven't tested it by using system restore for a long time though as relying on system images if I get into trouble. I'll try testing again
Richard Hi
Running Winver 22H2 OS Build 19045.2965
Windows restore did seem to work ok apart from an eset file restore error
Went back ok to a restore point made a few days ago and test programme that I had installed wasnt there after restore
So maybe ok but I will continue to make system images out of safety
Richard
radical_exponentDropbox Engineer
Hi everyone,
We're testing out some changes in v182 (currently in beta) that should hopefully help with this. Let us know if you continue to run into problems.
Thanks
We look forward to hearing more details about how this fix may resolve the problem.
I received an email stating that; "A reply to a topic you are following has been accepted as a solution!" However, I did not see any comments from anyone validating that System Restores work properly now. Has anyone actually tested this?
If you look just above at the last few messages, system restore works on updated builds of Windows. It tested it and didn't have any issues and another person confirmed it.
- radical_exponent
To clarify, we weren't able to reproduce this internally, so it's a little uncertain what's going wrong - and that also means we weren't able to fully verify the fix. In my testing, system restores all worked fine (both before and after the fix).
To answer your earlier question, we went thru the posts in this thread, collected a list of the likely offending files, and made sure we proactively clean those up from the .dropbox.cache folder - such that they can't possibly interfere with the system restore (they don't exist!). Supposing our theory on what's causing this is correct, that should fix it, at least when restoring to a point _after_ the updated Dropbox client has run this cleanup proceedure.
If anyone is still able to reproduce this, that would be helpful to know.
To clarify: The fix was something that either Microsoft or Dropbox could have implemented. It was more on Microsoft though because System Restore shouldn't crash because of one App. I filed a bug on this using Microsoft's Feedback Hub and they appear to have fixed it.
I had this happen on Windows 10 version 22H2, with the one exception that the offending file was placeholder.ico rather than placeholder.bat.
I still have this issue in Windows 11 on 4/2/2024. I needed to do a system restore, and none of them worked because of this and similar Dropbox messages.
What is the status of this fix? How do you work around it?
Thanks.
There's one simple fix that I found after a few days of being stuck with the issue. All you have to do is reinstall Windows and get started from scratch. At least your files will be saved in a backup folder.
