Desktop App System Requirements Opinion

[cmend92083]

I'm just hoping to get the opinion of other users about the scenario I am stuck in. We have a couple computers that are a little older (not ancient) that have the following:

 Core i5 3.2 ghz processor

4 gb RAM

350 GB hard drive

Windows 7 OS

These will be replaced in the coming year, but for now we need to have the Dropbox app to receive document submittals. Our IT department (which operates as its own company inside of our orginization) has said that these computers can't work because they do not have enough memory. That is all they will say and keep repeating it even when asked for specifics.

All Dropbox says in the help section is the type of operating system that is required. Does the above mentioned computer really sound like something that does not have the memory to handle a simple file transfer Dropbox app?

Thanks.

[Mark · Accepted solution]

I cannot see why it wouldnt be able to run.

I run Dropbox on a virtual Windows 10 machine with 2gb of ram quite happily.

[Rich · Accepted solution]

The Dropbox system requirements mention nothing about memory. Personally I have Dropbox running on nearly identical computers, albeit with larger drives, and it's not an issue. Dropbox runs just fine with 4GB of memory.

[Mark]

As a side note, the IT dept. are not mixing up the hard drive size (memory) with the quota of Dropbox accounts and assuming you need a 1TB+ drive are they?

[cmend92083]

I have no idea because they really will not give a decent answer. However, the latest response leads me to think that this is just a money grab for their department. They are happy to get us a quote on new computers loaded with RAM and, specifically, new SSD hard drives.

[Dreemer01]

I am also running dropbox on an older computer. Mac OS 10.9. It now says I need 10.10 and I cannot upgrade because of older programs that I need. I have not found a solution for this? Any ideas?

[JimGrisham]

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@Dreemer01 wrote:

I am also running dropbox on an older computer. Mac OS 10.9. It now says I need 10.10 and I cannot upgrade because of older programs that I need. I have not found a solution for this? Any ideas?

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A: You might be able to run a barebones Linux or Windows client in a virtual machine (e.g. using VirtualBox) and access your dropbox files through a shared folder (or, worst case, through the built-in Windows or Linux file sharing systems).

This is not ideal for various technical reasons, but it might work in a pinch for those who have tasks not suited for the Dropbox web browser interface.

B: Alternatively, if you have more than one computer on a network (even an old desktop without a monitor or an old laptop), you could:

• run Dropbox on one of them that is still supported, and then
• share the Dropbox folder over your network using the built-in Windows or macOS file sharing system.

That computer wouldn't have to be fast, but you'd probably want it to have a wired gigabit ethernet connection if possible, and you'd want it to be on all of the time (or most of the time).

Summary: You don't have to stop using Dropbox if you don't want to or can't upgrade your OS past MacOS 10.9.

The only real way to know if these (or other) methods will have the performance and features needed by your workflow is to test them.

 - j

[Aside: Many are in the same situation - surely they have metrics to know how many people are still using 10.9. We still have 10.6 running on some legacy hardware for limited purposes... until they stopped supporting that macOS version Dropbox was a great tool there. We've switched to Resilio Sync (free for limited personal use and resonably priced for business, and your data is only stored on your machines) for file syncing on these machines.]