How to get the right folder to sync

[nlamont]

I've just built a new PC and moved my old data drive into it.  It was drive E: on the old PC and it's drive E: in the new one.  On that drive I have a Dropbox folder which was the one that syncs with Dropbox online. So that's E:\Dropbox

When I installed Dropbox on the new PC it set a folder on the C: drive as the Dropbox folder.

If I go into Preferences > Sync there's Dropbox folder location.  It's set to C:\Dropbox.  I can select Move ... but:

• if I select E: it says 'This folder already contains a Dropbox directory' and won't let me continue
• if I select E:\Dropbox it says 'This will move your Dropbox folder and all the files inside to E:\Dropbox\Dropbox  - so it's creating a new Dropbox folder inside Dropbox

How do I get the correct folder set as my Dropbox folder?

[Rich]

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@nlamont wrote:

... I have a Dropbox folder which was the one that syncs with Dropbox online. So that's E:\Dropbox ... When I installed Dropbox on the new PC it set a folder on the C: drive as the Dropbox folder. ... How do I get the correct folder set as my Dropbox folder?

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Uninstall Dropbox. Rename your existing E:\Dropbox folder to E:\Dropbox_OLD or similar. Reinstall Dropbox and in the advanced options during the install select the location that you want for the Dropbox folder. Keep in mind that external drives are NOT recommended as data loss can occur under the right conditions. If you want it in E:\Dropbox, you need to select E:\ for the new folder.

When the installation is finished, Dropbox will immediately start to sync. Exit the Dropbox application. Move the content of Dropbox_OLD into the newly created Dropbox folder. When the move is complete, and not before, re-launch Dropbox.

At this point Dropbox will begin indexing all of your files. This process will take a while, especially if you have a lot of data to go through. During this time it may say that files are uploading or downloading, but it's only transferring comparison data and any changes that it finds. Be patient and LET IT WORK.

[nlamont]

Thanks for the advice.

 It all went fine until I tried to copy the files from my renamed Dropbox OLD to the new Dropbox folder set up in the installation.

For every file I get this error message. I've tried copying smaller subsets of the files but it's teh same every time, same message with a different filename.

If it helps, the Dropbox OLD folder still has the blue Dropbox icon pm the folder icon in Windows Explorer so maybe it's still trying to sync?

[nlamont]

I've now uninstalled Dropbox again, and deleted the new E:\Dropbox folder which it created.

So I'm back to my Dropbox OLD folder.  When I try to copy anything out of there I get 

Error 0x80070780: the file cannot be accessed by the system

I can delete files in there but not copy them elsewhere.  The file icons have an X in the corner.

My files are still intact in Dropbox online so I haven't lost anything but I need to get them connected again.

Where do I go from here?  I've seen answers to other questions about this error that say to switch off SmartSync but with Dropbox not installed I don't see how I can do that.

[Megan]

Hi @nlamont, how are you?

Apologies for my lengthy message, I just want to make sure we're on the same page here, and that I covered everything for you. Now, you mentioned that when you try to move your Dropbox folder using your app's preferences, you get the error 'This folder already contains a Dropbox directory'. 

Another alternative is to rename the folder on the E: drive as something entirely different, and then follow the normal steps to move your Dropbox folder. Can you try this?

Essentially the other process you can attempt is what Rich mentioned above. Let me recap: When you click on your "Advanced Settings", select it and then choose the option "I want to choose where to put my Dropbox".

If you had your Dropbox folder in a different location make sure to choose the root folder path that Dropbox used to have, for example, if you have your Dropbox folder in the path "E:\OtherDrive\Folder\Dropbox" you'll want to select the folder "E:\OtherDrive\Folder".

Is this what you did earlier?

Link the desktop application to your account by following the instructions on the screen. Immediately pause syncing, copy the files from your external storage device into the Dropbox folder.

Resume syncing.

The Dropbox desktop application will then index the files in your Dropbox folder. If all of these files are the same as the files in your account, indexing will finish and normal activity will resume.

If you get any errors, let me know! Keep me posted.

[nlamont]

HI Meghan, thanks for writing.

I'll just clarify what's been happening.

I previously had a Dropbox folder on an internal data drive E: .  I moved that drive into my new PC and set it again as E:.   When I installed Dropbox I tried to point it to the existing drive E:. That's when I got the message 'This folder already contains a Dropbox directory'. 

Following Rich's advice above, I renamed Dropbox to Dropboxold and reinstalled Dropbox. This time it created a new E:\Dropbox as intended.  But when I came to the next steps, I hit problems.

I paused sync so that I could move the contents of Dropboxold into Dropbox.  But even if I try to move a single file from one to the other I get the message 

So I'm back to my Dropbox OLD folder.  When I try to copy anything out of there I get 

'Error 0x80070780: the file cannot be accessed by the system'

I can delete files in Dropboxold but not copy them elsewhere.  The file icons have an X in the corner, if that tells you anything.

So in your message, the step I cannot get done is "Immediately pause syncing, copy the files from your external storage device into the Dropbox folder."

Does that help you diagnose the issue?

[Megan]

Hi @nlamont, thanks for the details! 

How are you attempting to copy the content? Do you copy-paste the files, or do you drag and drop? 

If I were in your shoes, I'd try to quit the app entirely, and check if I can then try to copy over the files, just to check if I get the same error. Can you try this? 

Just keep in mind, that this behavior and error seem to be device-specific, and not Dropbox focused. You might need to re-sync your content from scratch, but before you do that, let's see if there's anything else we can find about this. 

[nlamont]

It doesn't matter if I drag and drop or copy and paste via keyboard or menus. Same every time.

I've quit Dropbox, even uninstalled it but the files in my former Dropbox folder are unmoveable.

[Megan]

Hi @nlamont, thanks for writing back!

Can you check the properties of the folder that's causing you an issue, and check if the permissions are locked? 

You can right-click the folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab. Under Group or user names, click your name to see the permissions that you have. Click Edit, click your name, select the check boxes for the permissions that you must have, and then click OK.

Keep in mind that this might be something that you'd need to reach out to Microsoft about, in order for them to guide you more explicitly. 

Another option you have is to sign out of the app, and start over with your set-up. Choose for the location of your Dropbox folder to be in your E: drive, then let the app sync all the files from scratch. 

I hope this clarifies. 

[nlamont]

Thanks Megan. Good call.

I couldn't see anything in Security marking this folder as different from any others.  Administrators have full rights and I'm the only Administrator.

The folder was marked Read Only.  I unchecked that but it made no difference, I still can't copy any files out of it.