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Forum Discussion
Deleted files due to external drive getting disconnected
1. It looks like the external drive where I keep the local copies of my Dropbox files got disconnected.
2. This caused a number of files to get deleted from the Dropbox server and from all local copies on other machines.
3. I read up on this issue online and I can confirm that this the cause was the unmounting of the external drive.
4. Now I am restoring the files to the server using the Dropbox "undelete" option.
5. This has been looking good. The files are almost all back on the server (perhaps 10% left to go).
6. However, when I re-plug the external drive and Dropbox starts syncing again, it restarts deleting files from the server.
I don't understand step 6. How can I prevent this from happening? Note that the file path to the external drive hasn't changed from before the crash.
Can someone help me out?
Thanks.
Drago
Hi dragomirradev, unfortunately when working with your Dropbox folder on an external drive that's always a possibility.
We can’t guarantee perfect functionality of the Dropbox app if you’re running it on an external drive. For the Dropbox application to work properly, I’d recommend that you install it on the hard drive of your Operating System.
This is because Dropbox can’t always work correctly if the Dropbox folder becomes inaccessible, and this can happen if it's located on an external drive.
I'll forward your feedback to the appropriate areas so we can continue to improve.
Adding my response for the record since I experienced this as well. Dropbox wiped its entire folder during sync when a drive became disconnected. I've been using Dropbox for years but will also be cancelling my subscription due to this. I was shocked to read the current response to the problem is "don't use external hard drives". This seems completely untenable for a company trying to maintain pro users. How could anyone working with modern 4k+ video not utilize external drives? Why wouldn't Dropbox recognize when the its own root folder went missing and stop any sync operations? If anyone on this forum has recommendations for other cloud solutions that don't take the liberty of deleting files on external drives I'd love to hear them.
I was talking to Jared in Support about a recent problem and he suggested this info be directed to you instead of him:
The problem is that when there is a power outage in my area the drive with my dropbox folder will power down before the computer will. Then the dropbox app to will start wholesale deleting files because the drive is no longer available. This is a ridiculous conclusion for the software to arrive at.
Would it not make way more sense for the app to throw up a dialog box saying ‘dropbox cannot find your dropbox folder, please relink your folder” rather than just wholesale deleting files because of a technical glitch?
I have been through this three times now because the power grid where my home is located is unstable. If I turn that computer off I have to wait for hours for things to be updated before I can work at home. If I leave it on at home then this happens.
The first time this happened the dropbox support person told me that there was no way that the dropbox app could delete my files. The last two times I have had this problem I have bought new hard drives thinking my catalog file had become corrupt and dropbox was not able to read files off the drive and so it started deleting them in the cloud.
I have used dropbox for my work flow since 2011. This change in behavior is something that hasn’t happened before last year. I strongly suggest that your programming team review the reasons for having the app behave the way it currently does and consider that you are doing more harm than good to your users.
I cannot image a circumstance where a user would want their entire dropbox account wiped out because their external drive became disconnected from the computer.
I lost an entire days worth of work because over 160,000 files in my dropbox folder were removed before I figured out what was going on. Even files I had currently open were deleted so that when I went to save them the computer errored out saying that the folder and the file itself no longer existed on my computer.
I am a one man shop and I rely on dropbox solely as my cloud solution so that I can work regardless of my location. Please consider the applications current behavior very detrimental to my companies workflow.
- Mark
Super User II
There are already such measures in Dropbox Joe2-0 , however, they arent really very reliable. Dropbox obviously try and make it more and more reliable over time BUT this is why they dont really suggest you move the folder to external drives. It just isnt the point of Dropbox and the risks are huge.
This problem should be solved.
It has happened to me a couple of times in two years and the result is that the whole team lost a day's work because of the resynchronization time.
I try to explain why the Dropbox team should take this problem seriously:
1. Due to the limited size of internal HDDs, it is not possible to save "offline" all Dropbox folders.
2. Having the ability to keep files "online only" is just wonderful, but it is critical in terms of security: If the Internet goes down or Dropbox's servers get hacked or need maintenance, all files suddenly become inaccessible. It is a good practice for any digital archive to have at least one copy in the cloud and one locally. To this end, saving to external drives is essential.
3. If I try to delete a large number of files, dropbox asks me to confirm before doing so. Why does this not happen in this specific scenario?
4. I am a photographer and send my team files to edit overnight when I am abroad for a photo shoot. Having a computer that is always connected and has the entire Dropbox folder offline allows them to have the files ready to use when they arrive at the studio in the morning.
5. The policy of setting Dropbox folders "online only" by default (this is done when the app is first set up) is great because it allows for a lot of free disk space. At the same time, the fact that an accidental disconnection of a drive can cause all files to be deleted effectively rules out the option of saving all our files "offline" (see point 1).
6. I suggest simply adding a logical operation to your software: IF the size of the files to be deleted is = the size of the sum of all Dropbox folders AND IF the Dropbox folder is on an external volume THEN show a confirmation prompt before performing the operation.- Yes - I just don’t get why this is not possible to fix - or at least put more safety in place. The impact of this issue is beyond major on a business team.
The one protection I have implemented for a business I work with is to use Synologu Cloud sync with the “do not delete files duing sync” set on a local nas in the office - better than nothing but not ideal……
I guess I stumbled upon this issue with Dropbox's functionality. My old PC's main system HDD is too small to store all of my family photos, videos, documents, etc. so I moved the dropbox folder to a second internal HDD. It failed yesterday apparently and I noticed that files were being deleted. Isn't there a setting to keep cloud files without deleting, regardless of what I do with the files on my computer? What's the point of using Dropbox to backup my priceless family history if it is deleted due to a hard drive failure? That's the whole reason I'm using a cloud backup! Any help?
- No help at all. Dropbox have been ignoring this fundamental flaw for years now. They don’t seem to care about it so I’m in the process of changing suppliers
- Rich
eusdawb wrote:
What's the point of using Dropbox to backup my priceless family history if it is deleted due to a hard drive failure? That's the whole reason I'm using a cloud backup!
But Dropbox, as you're using it, isn't a backup service. It's a file synchronization service that mirrors anything that happens locally to your account online (don't confuse this core functionality with the Backup feature, which operates differently). Add a file to the Dropbox folder and it's uploaded. Delete a file from the Dropbox folder and it's deleted online. That's the main purpose for Dropbox.
If you're just using the local Dropbox folder and relying on the sync process as your backup, then you're getting a false sense of security because file sync is not a backup. Use the Backup feature linked above, or use a proper cloud backup service.
That said, I agree that Dropbox has a lot of work to do in how it handles the loss of the local Dropbox folder, but this is precisely while it's strongly suggested that you not store Dropbox on an external drive.
- Just to reiterate - for Mac users in particular - because of the inability to expand the internal HD (it is now hardwired onto the mainboard these days) external drives become the go to solution. I just don’t get why Dropbox cant implement a safety mechanism that can swing into action on an external drive disconnection - to confirm before it goes ahead and deletes all files…..
It makes Dropbox Teams a major liability for Mac based studios using it for Sync.
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hi dragomirradev, thanks for posting here!
First of all, amazing troubleshooting process, in order for you to restore the files after the deletion.
Now, in regards to the app deleting the restored content: is the app running when you plug in the external drive? Does it make any difference, if you pause the app, plug the external hard drive, and then resume syncing?
Let me know more!
- Thanks.
What I said is a very easy fix.
When Dropbox recognizes that several TB of data have been disconnected, it can send a warning to the user. This way the user can realize the issue and reconnect the drive before the files get deleted from the server. This should be a very easy fix. Are you sure that such an option doesn't already exist?- Rich
dragomirradev wrote:
Are you sure that such an option doesn't already exist?No such option exists. This is why it's been recommended that the local Dropbox folder NOT be stored on an external drive. As you've seen, under the right conditions, file deletions can occur. If the external drive becomes disconnected at any point while Dropbox is running, or if Dropbox is started while the drive is disconnected, Dropbox can see this as a mass file deletion.
- Thanks.
I don't think that this made a difference. I had killed the app and rebooted the computer with the drive attached to it. Then the deletions continued again.
I couldn't make progress this way. This was very time consuming and disappointing.
I am now trying to rebuild the local copy on a different drive, starting with an empty drive. Based on my previous experience, this will take weeks. And I don't know what will happen if the drive gets disconnected again and starts deleting files again.
Any advice?
Thanks.
Drago- Megan
Hi dragomirradev, it's indeed possible that this is happening because you're using an external hard drive.
When you visit your account online, are the files fully restored, or does the restoration process still take place? I'd suggest you give some time for the files to fully restore online, then try again.
As for the different drive that you mentioned, I am assuming it's also an external hard drive?
I just came in to be a drop in the bucket. This is the most infuriating weakness and has been like this for at least a year. Please fix this, it makes me so so anxious and angry when it happens. Make it unsyc or something, please don't delete a TB that I need that night for a gig you absolute monsters.
Same problem as everyone else. I'm cancelling drop box. I cant afford to loss precious files or to waste more time. Customer service is poor. Download service all has lots of bugs.
