We’re Still Here to Help (Even Over the Holidays!) - find out more here.
Mac
5 Topics
Any system, tool, or tip for bulk-creating structured folders efficiently?
Hi all, I’m currently trying to improve how I handle client onboarding, specifically, the folder structures we set up in Dropbox. Right now, I’ve been creating folders manually for each new client, with subfolders for contracts, reports, communications, etc. But as the volume increases, it’s becoming really time-consuming and prone to inconsistencies. I’m wondering if anyone has a system, tool, or tip for bulk-creating structured folders efficiently? Ideally something that works with Dropbox. I recently came across a tool called EZFolders that lets you generate folder structures using AI, either by typing a command or uploading a CSV. It also has an AI assistant that helps guide you if you’re not sure how to format things. Seems like it could help, but I’m curious if anyone here has used it or knows more about it before I dive in. Would love to hear what others are doing to save time with this kind of task!292Views1like3Comments
Old Laptop with Old Dropbox-- how do I transfer files?
Hello Hive Mind! I recently fired up my old laptop (OSX 10.9.5, late 2009) and I cannot transfer files off of it. I have tried gmail, messages, airdrop, apple mail application, old flash drive... the works. Then I noticed that I had an Dropbox icon. It has Dropbox v1.1.35 and had my hotmail email as the account. It looks like it is working on the old laptop, and I uploaded a 253 KB .png file. However, when I go to my current laptop, and log into the browser Dropbox, it appears that I had to make an account with the same hotmail address. And I cannot find my files in the browser Dropbox. 1) Is v1.1.35 hopelessly outdated and should I just give up? 2) Do you have any suggestions about how to transfer these files off of my old machine?980Views0likes3Comments
Remove "available offline" in finder under folders and files
Hello, Does anyone know a way to remove the “available offline” phrase in Finder under files and folders? First of all, the phrase seems completely useless considering it can be there along with the cloud icon that indicates that a file/folder is not actually offline but needs to be downloaded to be opened. Second, this useless phrase takes away the ability to show item info in Finder. I used to be able to see the number of files in a folder, the resolution of a photo, or the file size (if it’s an archive), but for some reason, Dropbox thinks that “available offline” is more useful than that. I am surprised I could not find anything on this. It seems like I am the only one concerned with this issue. Maybe there is a simple toggle somewhere in the settings that I am missing. Unfortunately, today I found out that your files can be marked “available offline” but still be in the cloud, and that is a deal-breaker for me. However, my annual subscription just renewed, so I’d like to find out how to remove this annoying “available offline” phrase and see my file/folder info until I find a replacement.611Views0likes2Comments
Move large files from Macbook to the web. The operation stops when the Mac goes to sleep.
These steps allow the Mac to run all night moving the large files. Go to System Preferences on the Mac and choose the "Battery" icon. Find the "power adapter" and set the control to prevent turn off when the Mac goes to sleep.814Views0likes0Comments
MacOS, high CPU usage by open directory, symlinks in Dropbox
Hi, I just wanted to share how I solved this high-CPU-usage problem. The short story is: delete all your symbolic links from under the Dropbox folder. Long story: I'm on macOS High Sierra and I found that a system process ("daemon") called "opendirectoryd" keeps using 50--100% of CPU all the time as long as the computer is up. I don't know exactly when this started, but it started recently, say a few weeks. I searched the Net and found a lot of discussions about the daemon using a lot of CPU time. Apparently there are so many different causes. Some of the discussions pointed to Dropbox. I indeed found that Dropbox is the cause: when I pause syncing, the daemon's CPU use immediately drops well below 1% and as soon as I resume Dropbox syncing, the daemon's CPU use shots up and stays there forever. But all the Dropbox-related answers say that you should delete dead symbolic links. I did delete the few dead symbolic links I had in my Dropbox folder but the problem persisted. Then I came across this document in the Dropbox help: https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/high-cpu-usage which says that Dropbox uses a lot of CPU time to hand symbolic links (dead or not). Although I didn't want to do that, I bit the bullet and deleted all my symbolic links under the Dropbox folder and moved the files and folders from my main directory to Dropbox. Now, the opendirectoryd daemon stays calm.5.4KViews0likes0Comments