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Esther B.6's avatar
Esther B.6
Helpful | Level 6
4 months ago
Solved

I need to re-link to an existing Dropbox folder when reinstalling the desktop app.

I have been using Dropbox for years but on several occasions I've had to reinstall and then fight with dropbox to use the folder that is already there instead of insisting on re-downloading terabytes...
desktop
Install
sync
windows
  • Esther B.6's avatar
    Esther B.6
    3 months ago

    Well this is interesting. I moved to a new house and changed internet providers. When I set up my computer again Dropbox started indexing the folder on G drive immediately. No more error messages. I wonder if my other internet provider was restricting some types of traffic? Anyway, it's all working now. Thanks for your help.

Jay's avatar
Jay
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
4 months ago

Hi Esther B.6, in order to see the option you're referring to, you would need to perform an advanced reinstallation of the Dropbox desktop application by following these steps.

During the installation process, you can choose the location of the existing Dropbox folder as mentioned in Step 11.

Esther B.6's avatar
Esther B.6
Helpful | Level 6
4 months ago

Hi. I went through the process and did find the advanced settings and selected my G: drive for my dropbox location. Then as soon as I clicked ok I got this error. Photo uploaded of it. This was the error that caused me to reinstall dropbox in the first place.

 

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    4 months ago
    Esther B.6 wrote:

    Then as soon as I clicked ok I got this error.

    That's not the actual error. If you click the second blue link it will open a text file that contains the full log of the installation, along with the actual errors encountered. Open that file and copy/paste it into a reply here. Be sure to mask any private information, if it contains any.

    • Esther B.6's avatar
      Esther B.6
      Helpful | Level 6
      4 months ago

      Okay here's the contents of the text file.

      bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
      bn.VERSION: 231.4.5770
      bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 86
      bn.is_frozen: True
      machine_id: 884775e7-8c95-47da-809c-d7d295c49ead
      pid: 19656
      cwd: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Update\\1.3.983.1'
           real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Update\\1.3.983.1'
                     mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
           parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
      HOME: None
      appdata: 'C:\\Users\\Esther\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
               real_path='C:\\Users\\Esther\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
                         mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
               parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
      dropbox_path: 'G:\\Dropbox'
                    real_path='G:\\Dropbox'
                              mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
                    parent    mode=0o40555    uid=0    gid=0
      sys_executable: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\Dropbox.exe'
                      real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\Dropbox.exe'
                                mode=0o100777    uid=0    gid=0
                      parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
      trace.__file__: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\231.4.5770\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
                      real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\231.4.5770\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
                                not found
                      parent    not found
      TMP: C:\Users\Esther\AppData\Local\Temp
      TEMP: C:\Users\Esther\AppData\Local\Temp
      tempdir: 'C:\\Users\\Esther\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
               real_path='C:\\Users\\Esther\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
                         mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
               parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
      Traceback (most recent call last):
        File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 1091, in wrapper
        File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 8616, in finish_dropbox_boot
        File "desktop/dropbox/client/message_queue.py", line 337, in _wrapped
        File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7900, in _init_components_for_account
        File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7808, in create_sync_engine
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.py", line 237, in make_sync_engine
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.py", line 264, in __init__
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.py", line 324, in __init__
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.py", line 279, in __init__
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.py", line 242, in __init__
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.py", line 617, in _init_new_engine_locked
        File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.py", line 170, in __init__
        File "desktop\extensions\nucleus\nucleus_python.pyx", line 77, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
      nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to initialize dbx cache directory |>> Getting handle to root |>> NtSetBasicInformation syscall: new handle |>> ACCESS_DENIED |>> FSErrorCode::PermissionDenied"

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    4 months ago

    Hey Esther B.6, can you take a look at this thread and the troubleshooting suggestions on it and let us know if they help in your case as well? It looks like a very similar issue, with the same error.

    • Esther B.6's avatar
      Esther B.6
      Helpful | Level 6
      4 months ago

      My dropbox folder already has full control for system and administrators. When i try to grant full control to users the change runs for a while and then stops with an access denied at some file or folder (doesn't tell me which one). I tried using takeown running command prompt as administrator and get access denied there as well. Any ideas?

      • Megan's avatar
        Megan
        Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
        4 months ago

        Hey Esther B.6​!

        If you're running any third-party antivirus or ransomware protection software, please try to temporarily disable it along with Windows Security.

        To disable Windows Security:

        -Open Windows Security from the Start menu.
        -Select Virus & threat protection.
        -Under Virus & threat protection settings, select Manage settings and turn off each setting.
        -Go back to Virus & threat protection.
        -Select Manage ransomware protection and temporarily disable Controlled folder access.
         
        After disabling these features, quit Dropbox if it is running, then reopen it and check if the issue remains. 

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