Dropbox Back-up - (not Beta) on Mac

[ducksinarow]

Having experimented with Dropbox back-up, I have disabled the sync.

Q1: it has re-organised my arrangement of folders and files so nowI have to waste time correcting the interference. Is there any way to avoid that happening?

Q2:According to Dropbox, any file I dlete on Dropbox will be deleted on my Mac. That's back to front: it really should be any files or content I delete or change on my Mac shouls be deleted / changed in Dropboax.  Is there any way to reverse?

Q3 I use previously saved word processor files as templates for the next letter. Opening a letter after trialling back-up, I am told I cannot use it but must make a duplicate. That in itself is a nuisance, but think on: if i have to duplicate every file then it wont't take long before I have used up all the storage space on my computer and on Dropbox. Is there a way around tthat?

Q4:  Athough i stopped the back-up, it has continued so how do i delete the files it has back-up without them being deleted on my computer; do I need to download fthem from D-Back up?

[Walter]

Hey @ducksinarow, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Before starting to re-organize your folder structure or making other changes, could you send me a screenshot of the app's exact status and version as shown in your menu bar at the moment? 

Do you see all of your backed up files in your backups page? Also, are you able to disable or delete the backup from there?

When it comes to your other concerns, have you considered copying or moving the files you'd like to work on in your Dropbox folder and have them sync instead of backing them up?

Let me know what you find and we'll take it from there. 

[ducksinarow]

Noted, thank you. However, having re-organised some of the folders in the sidebar i now cannot restore because having mobed them I get an error message. Also i cannot find the some folders which I am really annoyed about because they are vital and I need them.  Talk aboutan intrusive set-up. 

I paused the back-up because there are thousands and i don'twant to find that if I change my mind I can't stop. Seemingly I've no choice but to continue and then download what I want. Is that correct? 

I had considered moving them to the Dropbox folder to syn as indeed some are already but as i;ve said there are thousands and i didn't have time tthen.  If I could download them all now from the back-up then I'd do that. But how do i download when it won't let me because I''ve changed the position of the the parent folders and canot remember exactly where they were before?

[ducksinarow]

ps Now i cannot download them from the Back-iup because I get message about attempting to have too many files in a zip.

So, what has Dropbox done with my folders and files and how can i get them back?  I have Time Machine back-ups but am reluctant to restore from there for fear Dropboab will get them as well.

[ducksinarow]

pps - and despite clicking pause it hasn't so i am continuing te back-up (approx 1 hour remaining) and I only hope i shall be able to rstore them all because if i can't then Dropboax will be hearing from my lawyers. 

When i startd on this I had no idea and there was no warning that it would be a one-way process. As for selecting the folder to back-up I was only given 2 to choose from, not having a beta, so the entirely of my desktop. and document folders are being back-up which is not what I would've chosen,

[ducksinarow · Accepted solution]

I think I've now got the hang of it.  By searching o google and finding your advice to use alt+H etc. I am relieved to have found a folder that was "missing' which I have now put somewhere more accessible. So far approximately 190,000 files have synced,

[Megan]

Hi @ducksinarow, sorry to jump in here! 

Glad to see that everything is on a better track for you! You mentioned in your message above, that you get an error message, could you send me a couple of screenshots of that?

Feel free to also send us a few screenshots of your app's syncing status, as Walter mentioned above. Also, are you able to disable Backup, or do you face any issues when trying to do so?

[ducksinarow]

I am reluctant to upload or provide any screenshot because the work i do is commercially sensitive.  

I am content for the time being not to disable back-up because for some time I have thought it would be a good for me to have a cloud backup for my files using the sync folder but haven't persevered because there are so many files  to tcopy/paste.  Instead i've confined to using it mainly for my law library and others. 

[Megan]

I definitely see where you're coming from @ducksinarow! 

In any case, if you need anything else, just give us a shout. 

[ducksinarow]

Following on from my bout of mild angst yesterday, I persevered. It took from about 18:00 hours GMT until 10:00 this morning for every file and folder in Documents and Desktop to back up, estimated >200,000.  I didn't stay up all night, but I did check progress at 03:00 today. Whether it was backing up when the screen went into saver mode, I do not know.  

This morning I received an email from someone in DB support (which I haven't answered yet but will do), which on skim-reading was very helpful. Contrary to what I read or. how I read it, it isn't a one-way relationship. Any changes to a file or folder in Dropbox also change the file or folder on my Imac and vice versa: which makes sense despite the file/folder on my Imac being the 'copy'. As I have hundreds of pdfs to rename, i did wonder whether DB sync would be constant but actually, it is very slick and confirms sync almost immediately on any change. 

After the backup was completed, I found, contrary to the order of folders as was, wasn't, but I have managed to find where they are and put them back as was. 

I shall be asking the DB person this, but if anyone reading this could please answer whether I continue to use the desktop DB folder if the Backup also backs up the contents of that folder as well. And if it does, i am wondering whether I need to keep as many folders and files in it  when I now have something I have always wanted, which is a cloud-based backup at a reasonable cost.