Dropbox is launching instances of AcroRd32.exe when syncing renamed folder

[Hillaero]

I am renaming folders that contain many pdfs and subdirectories. When the folder is renamed and begins to sync the computer becomes nearly unresponsive. I think I tracked the problem down to multiple instances of AcroRd32.exe being launched. I assume it is one instance per pdf file.  This lasts until dropbox is fully synced.

Renameing AcroRd32.exe causes it to behave normally.

Anyone else seeing this? This just started after the latest update 81.4.195, Windows 10.

[Daphne]

Welcome to the Dropbox Community @Hillaero!

That sounds very strange indeed. 

Could you just try locating where the AcroRd32.exe file that's being launched is? To check this, open the Task Manager, go to "View" and "Select Columns". Then, select "Image path name", which will add a column showing the location in your Task Manager. 

Does the file path show that the AcroRd32.exe file is within Dropbox? 

Let me know what you find - thanks!

[Hillaero]

Thanks for helping.

The image path name is

C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\Reader 11.0\Reader\AcroRd32.exe

I am using an old version of adobe reader for compatibility with another program.

[Daphne]

Thanks for checking that @Hillaero!

Can you see if this still occurs when the Dropbox app is closed? You can close the app by clicking the Dropbox icon in your system tray, then clicking the profile pic/initials icon in the top right corner and choosing "Quit Dropbox".

Once you do this, please try renaming a folder again and let me know if you see the same issue with high CPU usage and multiple instances of AcroRd32.exe.

Keep me posted - cheers!

[Hillaero]

If dropbox is closed it behaves like a standard folder rename.

I watched it more closely today for the exact timing.

1- Rename folder.

2- Shows folder has been added in recent.

3- Says it is syncing for about 15 sec and shows file count reducing. No new files are added to recent.

4- First pdf icon is added to recent. Multiple AcroRd32 processes launch until sync is complete. Could it be linked to populating the preview thumbnails in recent?

[Daphne]

Hey @Hillaero, thanks for that info!

It's difficult to say exactly what is causing that as it's not something I've heard of before. 

Just to clarify one last thing, is the folder that you renamed during your testing "local" or is it "online only"?

I'd like to look into this in some more depth, would you mind if I reached out to the email associated with your Community profile?

Let me know - thanks!

[Hillaero · Accepted solution]

The files are local. Smart sync is disabled on this pc but is enabled on the browser settings area.

I used process explorer to get the parent program for the executable. I found that the processes were being launched by DropboxThumbnailGenerator.exe. I just deleted that program so it will skip the generation of thumbnails. Now it is syncing faster than it has in a long time. Hopefully this will be solved in the next release.

Thanks for all your help!

[Daphne]

Hey @Hillaero, great work on the troubleshooting there!

Thanks for letting us know how you resolved this in detail, I'm sure that any others that experience the same issue will find this very helpful.

I've passed this along to our dev team too so that they can review this.

If there's anything else I can help with then please feel free to give me a nudge here.

Hope you have a great weekend - thanks!