What is file indexing?

[richard d.24]

I have dropbox installed on my work computer that has software called deepfreeze (software by Faronics) on it. Basically deepfreeze boots from an image created when it was installed so every morning after I boot up my computer, dropbox spends 2-4 hours doing something called "indexing" even though my dropbox folder is on a non-frozen hard drive.
Does dropbox create a file index and store it somewhere on C drive?

[DaveC2 · Accepted solution]

Indexing is reading all the files in your dropbox folder and building a crc/md5 type set of index values for each 4MB chunk of file.
These values get stored into a database file in C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox and below.
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You are restarting from a snapshot and this folder and files are as it was at the time of the snapshot, so indexing is taking place on all the files it doesnt know about.
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I would suggest the following.
1) Restart in what ever mode is required to prepear to take a new snapshot
2) Do not run the DB app
2) MOVE the folder C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox to the non frozen dirve
3) Create a SYMBOLIC LINK folder at C:\Users{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox that points to the other drives location of the folder
4) Take a new snapshot
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Pretty much you have moved it out of the snapshot and left a link in the snapshot to replicate the folder from where it is as if its on C still.
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Next restart will still require a Index, but following that the database will not have been frozen and be up to date.

[richard d.24]

Thank you very much, I am just not too sure what a symbolic link is. Is that the same as a shortcut? I am in the process of looking up how to do this. but your solution makes great sense.

[DaveC2]

Its is similar to a shortcut, but NOT the same.
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When you enter a shortcut to a folder it takes you to the location of the folder. C:\1\2.lnk shows you D:\2
When you enter a symbolic link folder it shows you the location as the folder. C:\1\2 (symbolic link) shows you C:\1\2 which is actually D:\2
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The DB app expects the folder C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox to exist so you cant have a shortcut, but you can have a symbolic link.
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PS: make one like this > dos session : MKLINK /D "C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox" "D:\someplace\Dropbox"
The second one is NOT your "DROPBOX" folder its the one from appdata you moved. You can rename it if you like.
As in if your DROPBOX folder is at D:\Blah\DROPBOX you could move C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox to D:\ then rename D:\Dropbox to D:\DropboxAPP then move it to D:\blah\DropboxApp then create the symbolic link
MKLINK /D "C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox" "D:\blah\DropboxApp"

[DaveC2]

Keeping them next to each other helps the brain remember they are connected.
Dont put it in your DROPBOX folder, it wont help you, its machine specific, and its updates will keep causing the app to think something updated and update it, which then causes it to think something updated etc.

[richard d.24]

Thanks again Dave, I will do this as soon as possible, Just one more thing, you are suggesting a path of "D:\someplace\Dropbox", I am going to put the files on M drive and I have renamed the new folder to dropboxindex so the path would be "M:\dropboxindex\dropbox" and inside dropboxindex I would move the whole folder dropbox from the C drive. Hope this is correct.

[DaveC2]

That looks fine to me. D drive was just an example, glad you could see that, some people take every character literally, like ill say {username} and they say "I could not find '{username}'" I'm like OMG!
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Anyway, the only thing Ill mention and I should have said why I named it as i did, and it is just a naming semantics only issue.
C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Dropbox is not just the index but the whole shooting match, the application is installed in there as well, thus why I said to rename it DropboxApp, *this is all just tweaks tho, you appear to have a clear understanding of the important bit in getting the database off C 🙂 *

Hope it all rolls out ok.

[richard d.24]

I just gave it a test run with the command and it works great! thanks Dave, tomorrow I will "thaw" the computer and do it for good. You have been a great help.

[DaveC2]

Glad it appears all good, please report back on results, as these threads remain active for others to search on , and seeing a final outcome report good or bad is helpful to those also seeking a resolution in the future.

[richard d.24]

Things are working great! I made the link and started dropbox it took minutes instead of the 6 hours it took yesterday to update. Thanks for your assistance Dave. Deep freeze has its advantages but there are some drawbacks to having your computer frozen all the time, but all is fine now.