Couldn't start Dropbox error Windows 10 Lenovo Laptops

[jithinpsk]

When I tried to start Dropbox I got an error message attached.

I have tried a few suggestions found on Dropbox but failed.

The error log:

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 68.4.102
bn.DROPBOXEXT_VERSION: 27.0
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: c55389d8-10d7-48ac-901b-c784cf46162c
pid: 13276
cwd: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client'
real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client'
mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: None
appdata: 'C:\\Users\\\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance2'
real_path='C:\\Users\\\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance2'
mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
dropbox_path: 'C:\\Users\\\\Dropbox'
real_path='C:\\Users\\\\Dropbox'
mode=0o40555 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
sys_executable: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\Dropbox.exe'
real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\Dropbox.exe'
mode=0o100777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
trace.__file__: 'C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\python-packages-36.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\python-packages-36.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
TMP: C:\Users\HADI~1.MAJ\AppData\Local\Temp
TEMP: C:\Users\HADI~1.MAJ\AppData\Local\Temp
tempdir: 'C:\\Users\\HADI~1.MAJ\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
real_path='C:\\Users\\HADI~1.MAJ\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 296, in execute
sqlite3.OperationalError: disk I/O error

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\database.pyc", line 225, in load_dropbox_filecache
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\file_cache.pyc", line 477, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\sqlite_backend.pyc", line 2880, in __init__
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 301, in execute
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 266, in _raise_better_operational_exception
File "six.pyc", line 692, in reraise
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 296, in execute
dropbox.sqlite3_exceptions.DiskIOError

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 296, in execute
sqlite3.OperationalError: disk I/O error

During handling of the above exception, another exception occurred:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 751, in wrapper
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 6088, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 5638, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox\sync_engine_boundary\factory.pyc", line 308, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox\sync_engine\sync_engine.pyc", line 1071, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\database.pyc", line 232, in load_dropbox_filecache
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\file_cache.pyc", line 477, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\file_cache\sqlite_backend.pyc", line 2880, in __init__
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 301, in execute
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 266, in _raise_better_operational_exception
File "six.pyc", line 692, in reraise
File "dropbox\sqlite3_helpers.pyc", line 296, in execute
dropbox.sqlite3_exceptions.DiskIOError

[Lusil]

Sorry to hear that, @jithinpsk. Initially, please note that I removed personal information included in your screenshot for security and privacy purposes. 

Moving on to your query though, Dropbox is reporting an Operational disk I/O error, which means that Dropbox can't read from your hard drive. It is usually indicative of an underlying hardware issue.

I’d highly recommend that you have your hard drive backed up and checked by a professional. You can learn how to check your hard disk for errors in Windows OS here.

Finally, please bear in mind that it can take a long time to check your entire hard drive.

I hope this helped to some extent!

[jithinpsk]

Hi Lusil,

It is happening all across my work place. I found this issue in atleast 10 Lenovo laptops in our company.

When we updated the drivers, it worked fine for one week. Then started acting up again.

Jithin

[Lusil · Accepted solution]

Hi again, Jithin. 

Hmm. Maybe we could try a few different approaches which might help resolve your this. 

The first step is to try resetting the permissions to see if that helps Dropbox interact with your files with the following steps:

1) If Dropbox is running:

- Click on the Dropbox icon that’s next to your desktop’s clock.

- Choose Exit.

2) Press the Windows Key + R (at the same time) then type "cmd" and press enter to open the Command prompt.

3) Copy and paste the following lines into the Command Prompt, one at a time, and press RETURN after each one. Please ensure to copy-paste these commands, as getting them wrong could cause some harm. Don't worry if one of the instructions below fail or you can't find the folder in one of these locations, this is normal:

icacls "%HOMEPATH%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

icacls "%APPDATA%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

icacls "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

If you have any questions before you do this, or if you see an error after running one of these commands, please let me know!

4) Restart the desktop app from Start > All Programs, and reboot your computer.

If the above instructions don’t help, try an advanced reinstall - maybe that will do the trick.

Finally, could you ensure that don’t have local network sharing or folder redirection preferences setup within your Dropbox, or that your Dropbox folder or its system files aren’t located in a mounted network drive or a remote location (like roaming profiles)? 

If so, please note that such cases could cause Dropbox to not have constant access or permissions to operate in those locations. You may need to reach out to IT if your computer is in a corporate environment to check any of them.

Let me know of any updates!

[jithinpsk]

Hi Lusll,

Thank you very much for your help.

Tried the commands and still got the error. I tried an advanced reinstall. It is working for now.

But, I seen it work for a while and fail. Fingers crossed.

Jithin

[Lusil]

No worries, @jithinpsk. Let me know of any updates! 🤞