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Forum Discussion
Multiple Hard Drive Synchronisations
Hello,
I'm going to have to different Mac on two different places and need to synchronise all my datas so when I switch from one computer to another, I can access all my data. The fact is that ...
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
Harry13 wrote:
What if I setup dropbox on my laptop but use an external drive as my local dropbox folder.
You're risking your data if you choose to do this. If your Dropbox folder is stored on an external drive and that drive is disconnected while Dropbox is running or Dropbox is started before the drive is connected, Dropbox could see the missing drive as a mass deletion and sync that deletion across your other devices and your account online.
Storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive is strongly NOT recommended.
What about deleted files restoration feature?
- Rich
Harry13 wrote:
What about deleted files restoration feature?
What about it?
If you mean as an option for when the mass deletion happens, sure, it's possible, but you're looking at hours or potentially days of restoring and resyncing, depending on how much data you have.
The mass deletion isn't just something that "might" happen. It's something that HAS happened, and many times. Look around the forums and you'll find posts from people whom have had it happen to them. Is your data worth that risk?
Ok then I understand the risk. But this makes me sceptical about dropbox overall. What happens if a main hdd fails for some reason and my files are deleted everywhere.
- Rich
Harry13 wrote:
What happens if a main hdd fails for some reason and my files are deleted everywhere.
If your main hard drive fails then Dropbox wouldn't be running, so it couldn't sync your files.
If you have Dropbox installed on one drive and your Dropbox folder stored on another (internal) drive, then the same risk applies though it's extremely rare. Typically, if the entire Dropbox folder is missing at startup, then the application SHOULD say that it can't find it and just stop. The main risk is if it goes missing while Dropbox is already running, and this risk exists regardless of the sync service that you use.
