Lost desktop file

[nodar10]

A few weeks ago I was trying to undestand what dropbox was for and I installed it. I use to have my main files stored in the desktop folder. A few days later, when I switched the pc on I realized with my greatest concern  that all my dektop files had disappeared. I tried to see where they could have gone, but with no result. The desktop files were not present in the recycle bin, so I searched  with the software programs available fror traces of the  desktop  files in the hard disk, but also with no result. Looking at the PC directories I strangely found a dropbox folder not created by me which interfeared in the normal patterns I was used to. I feel that there was some dropbox interference in my PC. I have also tried to eliminate the dropbox folder with the result that my PC directories have been permanently altered.

Can anyone help me to understand what happened and may be to recover the situation?

[Здравко]

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@nodar10 wrote:

... The desktop files were not present in the recycle bin, ... Looking at the PC directories I strangely found a dropbox folder not created by me which interfeared in the normal patterns I was used to. ... I have also tried to eliminate the dropbox folder with the result that my PC directories have been permanently altered.

...

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Hi @nodar10,

Your experience shows how important is to read in advance before go to do something. 😉 At the beginning, let's make clear that Dropbox service is a sync service (primarily). Of course, could be used for many other things, but everything else is supplementary features. In this context, the service take care to sync a particular local content to the cloud and further to every other device, if any. The Dropbox application, you have installed, keeps in sync only one local directory - Dropbox. That directory is application specific and is created, if missing; something normal for first install. Everything you put in Dropbox folder gets in sync; everything outside - not.

The assumption that by default you want to keep in sync your standard user folders (Desktop, Documents, Download, etc.) is something far from perfect (could be considered bug) and if on install time, without careful read, you do accept it, all folders selected get move into Dropbox folder (otherwise syncing wont be possible). 🤷 Seems you have done exactly this! To fix it you have to turn off Dropbox Backup feature that you have turned on by mistake. Take a look on part "Turn off computer backup" and in point 6 choose "Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac", not "Leave content in Dropbox". After that you can uninstall the application, if you want. That's it.

[Fay-S]

Hi Здравко,

I have a similar problem, as I have opened a trial for 14 days for the professional version of Dropbox and then, without even realizing it, all my desktop files were transferred into Dropbox. The trial has now ended a few days ago, but I do not know where are my files now, as Dropbox has not returned them back to my desktop. I used to keep heavy files on my desktop, and I am really concerned now because only a small part of them are currently found in dropbox. Do you have an idea of how I could get my files back from dropbox? Many thanks for your help.

[Здравко]

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@Fay-S wrote:
... I do not know where are my files now, as Dropbox has not returned them back to my desktop. ...

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Hi @Fay-S,

Generally, your files have to be on the same place where you have put them (even indirectly into Dropbox folder). If you have moved or removed them... nobody else could say something.

There is something else you should observe as a possibility. If you have used "Smart Sync" feature together with "Backup", once your account got downgraded, access to the files could get "freeze" till your sync gonna enabled. Are you in state of overquota?

Hope this gives direction.

[Fay-S]

Hi  Здравко, I am not sure, as I have only limited experience with this technology... but, there is a message now that my dropbox is full.

The problem is that I had too many heavy files on my desktop, and these files were transferred automatically in the trial (professional version), but only a part of them are available in my dropbox now.

These files disappeared from my desktop, at the same time when they were transferred in the trial version of dropbox, but I do not know how to retrieve them now from dropbox. 

[Здравко]

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@Fay-S wrote:

..., there is a message now that my dropbox is full.

.... 

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Seems your account is in overquota. As result, sync process gets stop.

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@Fay-S wrote:
... these files were transferred automatically in the trial (professional version), but only a part of them are available in my dropbox now.

...

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Files are transferred by your choice (might be unintentionally). Just have to be careful when you confirm something from now on. What you mean "available in my dropbox"? Do you mean in your local Dropbox folder or that what you can see through the web interface? Try navigate and see if you can find something. Nothing can disappear byself! 😉 You can download everything successfully got in sync before the account downgrade.

One more thing you can look for. Sometimes when by accident you have to link your application anew, Dropbox resyncs anew. Dropbox folder gets recreated anew and the existing one gets renamed to something like "Dropbox (old)" together with all content within. At that moment if something isn't in sync yet, it looks like disappeared, but it's simply moved. Look around for something like.

Don't forget to turn off any feature you don't use in advance! Especially "Dropbox Backup" (as explained in my first post here) and "Smart Sync"! If you are not sure what exactly they do actually, only trouble could be expected. Read carefully everything you are confirming (before, not after)!

Good luck!

[nodar10]

Hi Здравко!

Thank you for your reply.

First of all I do not know what sync means. Furthermore, I have assumed  the existence of dropbox folders in my PC as an undue external interference . As a consequence I have eliminated such folders to try to restore my PC to the previous state. I even uninstalled dropbox software. I realize now that I have in some way eliminated my desktop files. I have to specify that before deleting the dropbox folders I looked inside of them and my desktop folders were not there. But I am asking myself where my files  now are: have they vaporized? If I have deleted them,  should they not reside in the recycle bin? Or somewhere else? Or cannot be traced in some way? In other words, is there any possibility to recover them? I have also tried with the windows 10 search tool asking for some of the folders which were present in my desktop, but the answer is: unknown.

I understand that I have done some careless actions, but if I give a man a writing pen as a gift and when he tries to use it the pen explodes, I cannot blame him of careless behavior.

Thanks and regards.

Federico

[Здравко]

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@nodar10 wrote:
...

First of all I do not know what sync means. ...

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Hi @nodar10,

Sync (synchronization) means to keep something the same on different places in time. In context of Dropbox data sync, it's process of trying keep particular data the same on different places, including different devices connected to the same account and the account cloud storage.

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@nodar10 wrote:
... Furthermore, I have assumed  the existence of dropbox folders in my PC as an undue external interference . As a consequence I have eliminated such folders to try to restore my PC to the previous state. ...

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Big mistake! The Dropbox folder is a folder like every other folder. The only difference is that it's an object of monitoring for changes and those changes (you are changing some file, for example, or add new one), once detected, propagate to... wherever needed. That's NOT interface!!!

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@nodar10 wrote:
... If I have deleted them,  should they not reside in the recycle bin? Or somewhere else? Or cannot be traced in some way? ...

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If you removed it without permanent wipe out, there is a chance your files are residing still in the trash. Take in mind Backuped folders take hidden place! To be able see them, turn on your file browser hidden files visibility. If your account is still active you can take a look there too. If not explicitly removed permanently, you have still chance to recover your files. 😉

Good luck!

[nodar10]

Buongiorno Здравко!

Finally, following up your suggestions, I could find my desktop files. They have been kidnapped by the Dropbox dragon  and silently imprisoned in the Dropbox.com site. Incredible!! I did nothing, nevertheless my important files forcefully emigrated from my computer without my permission.

Thank you Здравко. If I am not wrong your country of origin should be Bulgaria. I had several contacts with this country when I was selling automatic testing equipment in the eastern (let say communist at that time) countries. I have many dear memories of Sofia, Plovdiv, and Marna and Burgas on the black sea. I remember also the very tasty dry porcini mushrooms,  very good ingredient for preparing the  fantastic risotto italian stile.

Thanks again and best wishes,

Federico

[hklvr582]

Help please! I downloaded Dropbox to be able to work on things on both my home laptop and my work system. It synced everything. I decided I do not care for Dropbox and uninstalled it. Now I can not access anything on my desktop and some of my files are gone.