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Re: Dropbox CONSTANTLY Syncing/Indexing on Mac

Dropbox CONSTANTLY Syncing/Indexing on Mac

TXMedStudent
Explorer | Level 4
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Hey everyone, 

 

I've got a mid-2012 Retina MacBook Pro that I've been using Dropbox on. However, for the past 3 months, my dropbox app has been completely non-functional and I have not been able to sync anything. I've tried resetting Dropbox permissions, my computer's permissions, I've tried those code lines posted in Dropbox, and I've removed all the files with incompatible names. I'm desperate for a solution. Please help!

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Angieandco
New member | Level 2
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Ive been using Dropbox for several years but a few months ago set up another mac which syncs to the same dropbox account. Often very very slow - sometimes 15 mins to sync. Suddenly was asked for password to update permissions - did this and had to watch as all 500,000 files were re uploaded - took 3 days.

 

It then asked me again several days later (which I did not do) but then made contact with Dropbox help. They told me to unistall and reinstal the app. I did and of couse went thru the same uploading of 500,000 files - another 3 days. They looked thru and found I had symlinks which I dont know how they got there but eventually again with help I moved them.

 

However when speaking to another Dropbox 'help' person he told me, a lot - and I mean thousands and thousands - had bad file names - starting with an '*' and  a '•'. So  I changed them. Not only did the original machine have to re upload and delete the changes but of course the second machine had to then download all the files. This time I couldnt work for three days as I couldnt get into any of the files that were redownloading! Its all been a bit of a nightmare but Im hoping all is calm and working better. Does seem to be a lot 'indexing' going on still but Im watching patiently!!! 

 

Will say that the Dropbox help team are very good and quick to respond on 'chat'.

 

My upload and download speeds varied a lot and one day it took over 24 hours to sync 200,000 files. They say the smaller files are synced first so I m guessing alot of the the larger files were last to be synced so took much longer.

 

Hope some of this helps!

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19 Replies 19

TXMedStudent
Explorer | Level 4
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Quick update: it seems like the problem is within my dropbox account itself. I just tried syncing something into my Work folder and it worked with no issues. So there's something wrong with my personal folder then?

310EI
Super User
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@TXMedStudent wrote:
Quick update: it seems like the problem is within my dropbox account itself. I just tried syncing something into my Work folder and it worked with no issues. So there's something wrong with my personal folder then?

Hello, @TXMedStudent...

 

First, let's start by checking your current storage space level since you didn't specify what type of account you use (eg: Basic or Plus).

 

How much storage space is available when you look here (eg: 300 MB of 2 GB used)?  If you're over your storage quota then your files won't sync (upload).

 

If you're not over your storage quota then I recommend that you try the newest stable build (offline installer) vs any beta versions that are available (eg: v35.3.15).  After installing it, please restart your computer and see if the Desktop Client is working.

 

I've included a few Help Center articles listed below that may be of assistance to you.



HELP CENTER ARTICLES:

TXMedStudent
Explorer | Level 4
Go to solution

Hi there, 

 

Yeah I've got plenty of storage space available both on Dropbox and on my hard drive, so that shouldn't be a problem. I've also got the newest stable build installed. 

 

I'm not sure why it keeps happening. I constantly get asked every time I restart my computer to enter my password to change permissions for my personal folder. However, for my business/work folder, I don't have this issue and sync is instant. Any ideas now?

 

@310EI

310EI
Super User
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@TXMedStudent wrote:

Hi there, 

 

Yeah I've got plenty of storage space available both on Dropbox and on my hard drive, so that shouldn't be a problem. I've also got the newest stable build installed. 

 

Any ideas now?


Hello, @TXMedStudent...

 

Okay about storage space.

 

I recommend that you read this Help Center article and see if it can help with the Desktop Client.  Scroll downward to select your operating system and pay particular attention to the secntion entitled, "Add a second Dropbox account to the desktop app".

 

Otherwise, please post a screenshot of the problem minus any sensitive information so we can see what you're viewing.



HELP CENTER ARTICLES:

TXMedStudent
Explorer | Level 4
Go to solution

@310EI here's an idea of what's goign on: 

 

Screen Shot 2017-09-19 at 11.42.03 AM.pngScreen Shot 2017-09-19 at 11.41.52 AM.png

 

So it's basically got a bunch of files to sync which it never does, then I rebuild the permissions and it indexes endlessly and never stops. So then I try to reinstall the whole thing and it sort of goes back to this same situation. I've tried to also just restart the computer and it asks me on startup to type in my password because it needs to change permissions. After typing my password, it just goes back to everything I just described above. 

Jane
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hey @TXMedStudent

 

Thanks for your cooperation & screenshots, they were really helpful!

 

 

Off the top of my head, I'd recommend checking whether there are any external locations are linked to the Dropbox folder that may cause unexpected behavior as a very first troubleshooting step. If you aren't sure about whether you have used Symlinks, please have a look at the steps here: 
 
#1. Open your Terminal app (Located at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal). You can also search for "Terminal" using the magnifying glass at the top of your screen.
 
#2. Copy and paste the following line into the Terminal: 
 
(NOTE: If your Dropbox account is located on  "/Users/JaneA/Dropbox", then fill in the command line as below)
 
find "/Users/JaneA/Dropbox" -type l -exec ls -lah {} \;
 
The above should give you a list of symlinks in your Dropbox folder and where they point to. 
 
We recommend that you remove these symlinks from your Dropbox account. You can do that by following the file paths that are provided when you run the command, and remove the files in your Dropbox folder by dragging them elsewhere on your computer (if you don't want them deleted). After you've removed all of the symlinks you can identify from the Terminal command, please quit Terminal, open it again, and run the command again to ensure that no symlinks remain in your Dropbox folder.
 

Secondly, because I could see that're running a Beta version on your Mac, I'd suggest getting the latest stable build (35.4.20) on your desktop after removing the Symlinks.

 

Would you mind going through these steps & keep me updated on the outcome here? 

Hope you have a relaxed weekend ahead! :sunglasses:

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
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Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

310EI
Super User
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@TXMedStudent wrote:

@310EI here's an idea of what's goign on.


Hello, @TXMedStudent...

 

I apologize for my tardiness in getting back to you.

 

I recommend that you follow @Jane's very detailed response.

 

Good luck.

TXMedStudent
Explorer | Level 4
Go to solution

Hey @Jane @310EI

 

I have tried your suggestion, and I wanted to get your feedback on what came out of terminal, as it shows this: Screen Shot 2017-09-22 at 3.45.19 PM.pngI don't know what the file name specifically is? And it also mentions Sophos, which is my antivirus program. Any thoughts?

Jane
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution
 
I appreciate your prompt reply & the screenshot, it was really helpful! 
 
You may keep in mind that after the "Sept 5 19:51”, you have the Symlinked folder name, which is: /Users/ SOJHA?Dropbox”. After the arrow →”, you have the original name & location, therefore you shall remove these Symlinks to a different location (eg. You can drag & drop them on your desktop). 
 
Then, you can go on with the rest of the steps. 
 
Let me know how it works for you in your reply! 
Thanks! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Best Answer' button to help others find it.
:arrows_counterclockwise: Still stuck? Ask me a question! (
Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

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