Can I make two back-ups from two laptops? So: two folders Mackbook-Pro.localdomain?

[snmorbe]

English (Dutch below):
I have a question. I have an old Macbook Pro. I do not make a backup of the desktop and documents (at this moment). I have a new Macbook Pro and I do make a backup of the desktop and documents here. So there is just one folder: Macbook-Pro.localdomain

Question: Can I back up my desktop and documents from two laptops, two Macbook Pro laptops? Do you get two same names of the backup folder or do the folders have a different names? I want to have two back-ups: desktop & documents from the old laptop and the new laptop. But will there be a conflict of the folder: Macbook-Pro.localdomain ? I can not change this name, it is made automatically by dropbox.

Sonja

Dutch:
Ik heb een vraag. Ik heb een oude Macbook Pro. Hiervan maak ik géén back-up van bureaublad en documenten. Ik heb een nieuwe Macbook Pro en hier maak ik wel een back-up van bureaublad en documenten. Er is dus één map: Macbook-Pro.localdomain

Vraag: kan ik van twee laptops, twee Macbook Pro laptops, een back-up maken van mijn bureaublad en documenten? Krijg je dan twee dezelfde namen van de back-up map of hebben de mappen een andere naam? Ik wil dus twee back-ups maken van bureaublad en documenten van mijn oude en nieuwe laptop. Maar komt er dan geen conflict met de back-up naam: Macbook-Pro.localdomain want ik kan die naam niet veranderen, die maakt dropbox zelf.

Sonja

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[Hannah]

Hey @snmorbe, thanks for reaching out!

You can definitely enable the computer backup feature from two computers.

As for the computer names, can you first please check that both your computers indeed have the same name in the security page in your Dropbox settings?

Let me know what you find. 

[snmorbe]

@Hannah thanks for your help. I am helping for my laptops and also for the laptops of my husband. I looked at the laptops of my husband at the page security and  I see:

Macbook Pro van Frans

MacBook-Pro.localdomain

MacBook-Air-van-Frans-Rensen

So I see 3 device names from laptops. I don't understand why one laptop (his new laptop) is called MacBook.Pro.localdomain because this laptop has another name.

Also my laptop has MacBook-Pro.localdomain. Why not the name of my laptop?

So: how can we make two back-ups for two laptops?

Sonja

[snmorbe]

@hannah @Hannah (I don't know if i can tag you)

thanks for your help. I am helping for my laptops and also for the laptops of my husband. I looked at the laptops of my husband at the page security and  I see:

Macbook Pro van Frans

MacBook-Pro.localdomain

MacBook-Air-van-Frans-Rensen

So I see 3 device names from laptops. I don't understand why one laptop (his new laptop) is called MacBook.Pro.localdomain because this laptop has another name.

Also my laptop has MacBook-Pro.localdomain. Why not the name of my laptop?

So: how can we make two back-ups for two laptops?

Sonja

[snmorbe]

@hannah @Hannah (I don't know if i can tag you)

thanks for your help. I am helping for my laptops and also for the laptops of my husband. I looked at the laptops of my husband at the page security and  I see:

Macbook Pro van Frans

MacBook-Pro.localdomain

MacBook-Air-van-Frans-Rensen

So I see 3 device names from laptops. I don't understand why one laptop (his new laptop) is called MacBook.Pro.localdomain because this laptop has another name.

Also my laptop has MacBook-Pro.localdomain. Why not the name of my laptop?

So: how can we make two back-ups for two laptops?

Sonja

[snmorbe]

My husband and I want to do the same thing. I already answered your post, but it was markes as spam. I try one time again.

My husband has 3 laptops and want a back-up from two laptops. In security page we see 3 names of devices:

- MacBook Pro van Frans (we also like back up)

- MacBook-Pro.localdomain (= new laptop, we like back up)

- MacBook-Air-van-Frans-Rensen (we will delete and sell this laptop)

I also have my newest laptop with the name MacBook-Pro.localdomain.

Question 1: how can each of us make a back-up from two laptops in dropbox?

Question 2: why is our newest laptop called MacBook-Pro.localdomain and not our own name of our device?

Thanks for you help Hannah!

[Hannah]

Thanks for the update on this, Sonja!

When you enable computer backup on a computer, the feature creates a folder in your Dropbox folder for the backed up computer.

So, even if the computers have the same name, one of the folders will likely get a '(1)' in the name, which is what happens with every folder in the Dropbox folder that has the same name with another one. 

Thus, the backup folder for one of the computers would be "My Mac (MacBook-Pro.localdomain)" and for the other one it should be "My Mac (MacBook-Pro.localdomain) (1)", to prevent confusion.

Make sure to let me know how it goes!

[snmorbe]

@Hannah thanks a lot for this information. This is very helpful.

Two last question:

1. Is it correct that I can see which one of the devices is (1) because that is the second one I add to dropbox back up and I can see this because of different folders and files?

2. I know that I cannot change the name of the device in Dropbox. But why are the oldest devices with the correct name (for example Macbook Air Sonja) and our newest devices has an impersonal name like MacBook-Pro.localdomain? Because when I look in my settings of my device, than my laptop is not called that way. I made a personal name for my laptop with my name Sonja. Why is dropbox calling it localdomain? 

Thanks for you help and hopefully the last answer on those sort questions.

Sonja

[Hannah · Accepted solution]

There's no specific reason why Dropbox names a computer like that, and it also doesn't really mean anything. It could be due to your network or something.

And as for your first question, you are correct!