The Dropbox desktop application will no longer be supported for Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 on October 22nd

Hi. I am on Win 10 & not using Dropbox in compatibility mode. Infact, I uninstalled Dropbox as per ur support page, deleted all folders, reg edit entries and reinstalled using the latest installer 1.3.911.1, ins

talled Dropbox files in a different folder but still I am getting the same Support error.

I am using Windows 10 Enterprise for Virtual Desktops OS Build 19045.5131   

Please check and fix the issue as I am unable to use Dropbox due to this.

I wanted to attach the logfile but the attachment button is also not working here. I tried 2 different browsers. So have to make a fresh post.

I then tried the offline Dropbox installer which also failed to work on my Win 10. The error log is copied below as attachment button here is not working.

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 210.5.4894
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 76
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 992fa5ef-c5cd-44aa-bc73-45bcc1f54162
pid: 4748
cwd: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Update\\1.3.911.1'
     real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Update\\1.3.911.1'
               mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
     parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
HOME: None
appdata: 'C:\\Users\\Home\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
         real_path='C:\\Users\\Home\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
                   mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
         parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
dropbox_path: 'E:\\Dropbox'
              real_path='E:\\Dropbox'
                        mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
              parent    mode=0o40777    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\\210.5.4894\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
                real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\210.5.4894\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
                          not found
                parent    not found
TMP: E:\Temp;
TEMP: E:\Temp;
tempdir: 'E:\\Temp;'
         real_path='E:\\Temp;'
                   mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
         parent    mode=0o40777    uid=0    gid=0
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "desktop/dropbox/fs_api/lifecycle.py", line 235, in client
  File "desktop/dropbox/fs_api/lifecycle.py", line 283, in _create_thin_client
  File "desktop/dropbox/fs_api/fs_api_adapter.py", line 50, in __init__
  File "desktop\extensions\fs_api\fs_api_python.pyx", line 63, in fs_api_python.FsApiServer.__cinit__
fs_api_python.FsApiError: "Initializing fs api |>> Initializing application filesystem |>> Attempting to initialize dbx cache directory |>> NtCreateFile syscall: open_unchecked |>> ACCESS_DENIED |>> Permission denied"

The above exception was the direct cause of the following exception:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 950, in wrapper
  File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7136, in finish_dropbox_boot
  File "desktop/dropbox/client/message_queue.py", line 306, in _wrapped
  File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 6583, in _init_components_for_account
  File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 6504, in create_sync_engine
  File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.py", line 212, in make_sync_engine
  File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.py", line 243, in __init__
  File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.py", line 294, in __init__
  File "desktop/dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.py", line 242, in __init__
  File "../win32_x86_64_dropbox_virtual_env/python38/Lib/functools.py", line 967, in __get__
  File "desktop/dropbox/fs_api/lifecycle.py", line 259, in client
dropbox.fs_api.lifecycle.FsApiClientCreationException: "Initializing fs api |>> Initializing application filesystem |>> Attempting to initialize dbx cache directory |>> NtCreateFile syscall: open_unchecked |>> ACCESS_DENIED |>> Permission denied"

Hi and for the hint regarding early releases.

I changed the toggle to stable and installed the LTS version. Is is currently indexing 360.000 files. Lets see if is working afterwards. I will keep you informed.

Hey lycra, can you check Ben's reply here, to see if it helps even though it's not specific to Windows Server 2019?

We have the same issue using Windows Server 2019. Dropbox cannot be started anymore.. What can we do!? 

Hi Clive48, it is possible that you have the Dropbox desktop application running in compatibility mode on Windows 10?

Hi. I am using Windows 10. I am getting Dropbox popup for past few days that "Dropbox is removing support for Windows 7,8,& 8.1. Why am I getting this with only option is to Exit dropbox as per attached. Pl fix the issue to stop spamming Win 10 and above users.

screenshot 

Same sentiments. I used to like & use dropbox a lot, but it's finally over for me too. I'm phasing it out. Here's my issues:

• Killing Windows Server support altogether (even for latest versions, e.g., my srv 2022 which is Win10-like engine), and with no prior notice (while all that spamming about space etc. goes on).
• Client limit to only 3 devices. I suppose we should say "thanks" for keeping any old ones unaffected...
• Lack of a cheap paid plan, e.g., in the 20-30 Euro/year range, that increases/bypasses the device restriction above and/or adds functionality. (The "Extra" plan takes your Basic account up to 50 GB, which is fair [Google gives 100 GB for same cost], but all the other features are the same.)

With Onedrive not supporting 7 I think Dropbox have missed a trick. Many like me ditched Onedrive and installed Dropbox only to discover that Dropbox is bending over backwards to ape Onedrive. My main computer is 10, secondary is 7, plus updated Android. I will NOT change 7 for the benefit of Dropbox, Google, or any other company that rides roughshod over the requirements of users.

This "better performance and security enhancements"  that make it 'incompatible' is a blind - a ruse to conceal the fact that companies don't want to waste time 'supporting' an older OS. I don't need a 'better performance' from Dropbox, and the unrestricted files in my Dropbox folder need no 'security enhancements'.

Hello Dibrom: Thanx for the very interesting "history lesson" and Windows version comparisons. I am impressed and wonder how you learned all this good "stuff" - plz explain.

Also I remember when Win 10 was first announced by M$. Online users were swamped with uncontrollable # of ads urging us to switch to their "latest & greatest" OS. Someone precisely called it their "nag screen".  Apparently M$ finally realized that their potential customers for Win 10 had enuff annoying interruption and turned off the fire hose.

BTW: I told an IT manager today that I was still very satisfied running Win 7 without any problems or known security breaches. He falsely claimed that no security updates were being released by M$ but obviously that is false since almost every week I download 2 "important" OS patches - (1) " Security Essentials"  (2) "Malware Removal Tool".  By faithfully downloading these 2 items and also running Malwarebytes (compatible with Security Essentials) I'm still running VENERABLE WIN 7 successfully. If some day I am forced to abandon it, Linux will probably be its replacement. But hopefully that day will never come.

Yes Bob, your retelling of history is basically correct. As is the case with Apple, product releases follow a fairly predictable path: year one = major release of all new product. Year two = minor facelift update to add functionality to basically same product. Year three = major update adding major new functionality and features. Year four = minor facelift only etc.

In that sequence, Windows 7 was a major new OS that pretty much removed the MS-DOS underlying operating system running the show under the hood of XP/Vista and Windows 2000/Server. W7 also combined the two development streams of XP and NT under the one product to do both jobs. ie. Windows 7 didn't have separate streams for home computing and network environments. It did both.

When Microsoft tried to minor facelift W7 into W8 however, they did so in such a way as to COMPLETELY change its look and feel. So dramatic and comprehensive was the change from what everyone was familiar with into something more akin to a tile based Apple Mac GUI, that there was massive backlash. Windows users simply didn't know how to use their computers anymore. There was no taskbar, no START button, no programs list menu. Some people couldn't even figure out how to turn their computers on anymore, and turning them off was a joke. Windows 8.1 was the very hastily rushed out facelift upgrade of Windows 8 to restore some of the familiar look and feel of Windows 7 again so people could at least know how to use their computers again. Thus Windows 8 has become the much unloved forgotten version of Windows no-one uses, like Vista/Server before it.

Thus Windows 7 was the last of the traditional, familiar, non-spyware Microsoft operating systems. Windows 8 and 8.1 can basically be ignored as experimental facelift versions M$ tried on their customers to see how much resistance there would be to a wholesale GUI remap and whether or not people would accept not knowing where any of their computer controls were anymore. You can see how popular 8 & 8.1 were from this website:

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-version-market-share/windows/desktop/worldwide

In short, they are almost as uncomonly used these days as XP, which is a significantly older OS.

With Windows 10, Microsoft changed tack completely and realised they could make more money selling their OS user data to advertisers and marketeers than they had been selling the OS directly to the users as had been the case with all versions of Windows before it. Thus Windows 10 became 'free' to install, but of course, it's just the trojan horse to get you to install it. Once installed, it silently data scrapes you constantly and sends that information back to Microsoft under something called innocently enough Microsoft telemetry, which is of course sold as benefitting you the user in greater security, enhanced features and usability, greater privacy (which is hugely ironic, since privacy is exactly what it destroys), and basically anything else you need to hear to feel good about your decision to install it in the first place. Don't ask questions, just trust Microsoft and be happy is the message.