Can't point my dropbox to an existing dropbox folder

[Jason K.]

Hi,

The way my PC is configured is that I have an SSD (C:) which I just install Windows 8.1 on, and a data drive (D:).

I just reformatted C: and installed dropbox again. However, when I pointed dropbox to my dropbox folder that has all of my data in drive 😧 I get the following error:

"This folder already contains a Dropbox directory"

I recall being able to do this in the past. How can I do this so that I don't have to redownload my entire dropbox?

Thanks

[Chris R.]

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but doesn't this just mean that Dropbox already "knows" where your directory is and you don't have to point it at it?

Try changing something in your DB folder and saving it - if DB uploads your changes, then that's the answer.

[Ritesh A.]

Chang the name if your old dropbox folder
Install dropbox in that location
DB wii start syncing
Pause syncing
Move the files from old folder to new dropbox folder
Resume syncing

[Robert H.1]

I have this same problem. I used to just Move it to the D drive and it finds itself. Now, when I change the name like dropbox2 all of my 1 TB files start to duplicate with the naming of file version conflict. So I stopped all syncing and I'm stuck. Didn't mean to but in here but these answers used to work for me. Any more ideas?

[David B.9]

I just did the same thing as Jason. Installed Windows 8.1 and have my files on a different hard drive. I can't change the location.

Who wants to re-download 700 GB of files. This has to be a bug in Windows 8, no?

They offer no pro support either I just found out.

[Eric K.13]

I have the exact same problem. This is absolutely ridiculous. My data is not on my OS boot drive. It's on a RAID 10 array and today my OS boot drive got corrupted. Had to re-install Windows 7. I then tried to re-install Dropbox to point to it's old drive and it's impossible. Every time I point to the old drive folder it comes up with a silly error just saying I can't create Dropbox there. So I changed the security descriptors to everyone full on the "Dropbox" folder and then I got "do you really want to create ....Dropbox\Dropbox?" So then I said I need to go up one directory. So I did. Then same error.

I have so much data that this is simply discouraging. I pay a lot for Dropbox. I have business and home pro. There is absolutely no help on this.

[Syibly Avivy A.]

Here's some perfect answer (at least it's success in me and the author) :

https://www.dropboxforum.com/hc/communities/public/questions/201680869-Desktop-Application-Will-Not-...

Nb, you do not have to : Rename --> Copy --> etc. it's take time.

You can try much easier way with the link I write above.

Good luck All

[David B.117]

I have previously posted that it was impossible to reinstall dropbox and get nit to use the existing files. It insists on setting up a fresh copy of itself and then dowloading all the files again which when it is 220Gb is no joke. So I read the advice here and used the advanced settings to point this new installation to the existing G:\Dropbox\Dropbox (which it insisted on creating last time as it would not install in existing G:\ Dropbox). And it seemed to have found the existing files and spent 20 hours downloading and syncing files... But then all of a sudden it creates a whole lot of new directories in G:\ Dropbox and starts downloading new files until it runs out of space. To say that in a year and a half and having read hundreds of exactly similar problem requests Dropbox  cannot solve this simple problem of searching for and using the existing installation files shows how poorly the support operation is for this product.

So I have  the above setup and have pointed the new installation to it exactly using your advanced dialog and your advised solution so now what do I do...and dont tell me to manually copy 220Gb of files in several thousand directories from G:\ Dropbox\Dropbox to G:\Dropbox

[Feng L.]

This works well for me:

https://help.dropbox.com/desktop-web/move-to-new-computer

[Björn B.4]

I had the same problem. The following seems to work:

Pause syncing.

Rename the old Dropbox folder to Dropbox_old.

In dropbox preferences, move the new Dropbox folder to the same parent folder that contains Dropbox_old.

Shut down (exit) dropbox.

Rename Dropbox to Dropbox_new_junk.

Rename Dropbox_old to Dropbox.

Restart dropbox.