Dropbox installs & integrations
Connect your tools and content together with help from the Dropbox Community. Join a discussion or post a question of your own to get started.
The content you are looking for has been archived. View related content below.
I'm operating on Mac OS Monterey v. 12.1 and keep getting a message saying my computer "couldn't start Dropbox. This is usually because of a permissions error. Storing your home folder on a network share can also cause an error." I've run an advanced reinstall per this advice on this page (https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/advanced-reinstall) but the error message keeps showing up and I can't get Dropbox to install or start. Here's the error 77 message that shows up in TextEdit:
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 140.4.1951
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 52
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: a5a4f246-3332-5f6b-9e09-dce4cba06514
pid: 440
ppid: 1
uid: 501
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='ecn0415', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Erin Martin', pw_dir='/Users/ecn0415', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='ecn0415', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Erin Martin', pw_dir='/Users/ecn0415', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
euid: 501
gid: 20
egid: 20
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'ecn0415', '_carddav', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'ecn0415', '_carddav', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/ecn0415'
appdata: '/Users/ecn0415/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/Users/ecn0415/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
dropbox_path: '/Users/ecn0415/Dropbox'
real_path='/Users/ecn0415/Dropbox'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
mode=0o100755 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/var/folders/9f/brpqpbwn7czb3zsn8h84l2300000gn/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/9f/brpqpbwn7czb3zsn8h84l2300000gn/T'
mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 838, in wrapper
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6617, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox/client/message_queue.pyc", line 313, in _wrapped
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6165, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6089, in create_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 218, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 268, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 250, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 198, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 217, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 529, in _init_new_engine_locked
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 133, in __init__
File "desktop/extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 76, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to register icons |>> Reading existing xattr |>> fgetxattr syscall: determined size |>> Permission denied"
Megan
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
Did this post help you? If so, please give it a Like below.
Still stuck? Ask me a question!
Tips & Tricks Find new ways to stay in flow or share your tips on how you work smarter with Dropbox.
Megan
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
Did this post help you? If so, please give it a Like below.
Still stuck? Ask me a question!
Tips & Tricks Find new ways to stay in flow or share your tips on how you work smarter with Dropbox.
That finally fixed it, thank you!
Hi Megan! I followed the instructions you gave, but I'm still not getting the problem fixed. I still keep getting the "Couldn't start Dropbox because of a permissions error" message when I try to use the desktop app. The only way I can use Dropbox is to access it online. I'm running OS Monterey.
Walter
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
Did this post help you? If so, please give it a Like below.
Still stuck? Ask me a question!
Tips & Tricks Find new ways to stay in flow or share your tips on how you work smarter with Dropbox.
I have a similar problem. I tried the recommended steps - nothing helped. Finally moved my DB app to the trash and downloaded a new one. The installer will not open though. I am quite stuck now. My error code:
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 140.4.1951
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 52
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 243c2bd1-753d-5548-99fe-f246d6e09dd5
pid: 542
ppid: 1
uid: 503
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fishwilliam', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Fish William', pw_dir='/Users/fishwilliam', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='fishwilliam', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Fish William', pw_dir='/Users/fishwilliam', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
euid: 503
gid: 20
egid: 20
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'fishwilliam', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'fishwilliam', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/fishwilliam'
appdata: '/Users/fishwilliam/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/Users/fishwilliam/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
dropbox_path: '/Users/fishwilliam/Desktop/Dropbox'
real_path='/Users/fishwilliam/Desktop/Dropbox'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
mode=0o100755 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=503 gid=20
trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/var/folders/t4/xgtkx5894_n84w2hz_47d6wr0000gq/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/t4/xgtkx5894_n84w2hz_47d6wr0000gq/T'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=503 gid=20
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 838, in wrapper
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6617, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox/client/message_queue.pyc", line 313, in _wrapped
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6165, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6089, in create_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 218, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 268, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 250, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 198, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 217, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 529, in _init_new_engine_locked
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 133, in __init__
File "desktop/extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 76, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Marking Nucleus cache directory as ignored |>> Writing to xattr |>> fsetxattr syscall: write_xattr |>> Permission denied"
Walter
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support
Did this post help you? If so, please give it a Like below.
Still stuck? Ask me a question!
Tips & Tricks Find new ways to stay in flow or share your tips on how you work smarter with Dropbox.
Walter, thanks for your suggestion, but I don't know enough about terminal to be comfortable with using it. I think I need someone at Dropbox to help me, but it seems the only direct support they offer is to large business accounts.
I restarted again, and tried the install again. It seems to be working now, many thanks.
I have tried all of the suggestions, reinstalled and still have permissions issues. Here is the error log.
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 141.4.3299
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 52
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 119dcd2e-ea3d-49b5-ae67-b24de5798723
pid: 14352
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\\jstic\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
real_path='C:\\Users\\jstic\\AppData\\Local\\Dropbox\\instance1'
mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
dropbox_path: 'C:\\Users\\jstic\\Dropbox (J Tice CPA)'
real_path='C:\\Users\\jstic\\Dropbox (J Tice CPA)'
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\\141.4.3299\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
real_path='C:\\Program Files (x86)\\Dropbox\\Client\\141.4.3299\\python-packages.zip\\dropbox\\client\\ui\\common\\boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
TMP: C:\Users\jstic\AppData\Local\Temp
TEMP: C:\Users\jstic\AppData\Local\Temp
tempdir: 'C:\\Users\\jstic\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
real_path='C:\\Users\\jstic\\AppData\\Local\\Temp'
mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40777 uid=0 gid=0
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 838, in wrapper
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 6619, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox\client\message_queue.pyc", line 313, in _wrapped
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 6167, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox\client\main.pyc", line 6091, in create_sync_engine
File "dropbox\sync_engine_boundary\factory.pyc", line 218, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\classic_client\sync_engine.pyc", line 268, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\classic_client\modern_client\modern_client.pyc", line 250, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\classic_client\modern_client\base.pyc", line 202, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\classic_client\thin_adapter\in_proc.pyc", line 217, in __init__
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\classic_client\thin_adapter\in_proc.pyc", line 529, in _init_new_engine_locked
File "dropbox\sync_engine\nucleus\thin_client\client.pyc", line 133, in __init__
File "desktop\extensions\nucleus\nucleus_python.pyx", line 76, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to initialize dbx cache directory |>> NtSetBasicInformation syscall: new handle |>> ACCESS_DENIED |>> Permission denied"
The way we work is changing. Share and discover new ways to work smarter with Dropbox in our community.
Sound good? Let's get started.Hi there!
If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for a ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on Twitter or Facebook.
For more info on available support options, see this article.
If you found the answer to your question, please 'like' the post to say thanks to the user!