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Forum Discussion
currentcapital
8 years agoHelpful | Level 6
Randomly deleted files and folders
Anyone else experiencing files and folders being deleted from Dropbox without human intervention?
I know that I'm going to get the stock Dropbox answer here that it can't happen, but I can expl...
- 7 years agoWelcome to the Dropbox Community, let me send over some tips below regarding your inquiry and we’ll take it from there!SKBJ ‘s reply could point you towards the right direction, though you may need to dig deeper, depending on the behavior you’ve noticed.Firstly, as Dropbox syncs any files added to it, a virus or malicious software would get updated to all computers linked to the account accordingly. If the virus or malicious software is in a shared folder, shared folder members and computers may also be affected. That being said, I’d strongly recommend removing it as soon as possible, as it’ll definitely create more issues in the long run.Secondly, it recently came to attention that connecting or pointing external locations (i.e. Symlinking them) to your Dropbox folder might cause unexpected behavior, so it may appear to you as if files are randomly deleted. That being said, I’d advise you to have a look intro this as well, just as a possible scenario.Regardless of the cause, if you need further clarifications or you’d like your account reverted back to a particular point in time, my advice would be to reach out directly to our team, who’ll guide you through the necessary steps and actions you’d need to take, so as to revert back to normal operations.If you decide to go per my advice above, you may keep in mind that I’m always here to pursue a resolution, so please let me know a ticket ID I could reference in your next reply.I’m looking forward to hearing back from you on this discussion!
Rich
8 years agoSuper User II
currentcapital wrote:
I know that I'm going to get the stock Dropbox answer here that it can't happen, but I can explicitly tell you it does.
It doesn't. If files have been deleted, then either you, another process on your computer or another device linked to your account had to initiate it. Dropbox cannot delete your files without being told to.
Restore one of the files that was deleted, then look at the previous version history for that file. It will tell you where the deletion originated from (hover your cursor over the timestamp to the right). If it shows you or your computer as the one that deleted it, and you didn't do it, then something on your computer did.
If you're a Dropbox for Business customer, you have access to phone support. Have you called yet? The phone number and required PIN can be found in your admin console under Help.
- currentcapital8 years agoHelpful | Level 6I know what I did or did not do, and thanks for the condescending reply. Have seen it other places in these forums. Very helpful.
Only process that could be doing this is a Dropbox process, so I guess in a way it is a process on my PC that's at fault.
Software bug in Dropbox then?- Cmk778 years agoExplorer | Level 4Wowee - I was just going to switch to drop box for business because my current software sugar sync has the same issue - but it seems to just pick a file here and there - so I have stuff missing that I didn't even know because I don't work on files continously - so something that both programs use in algorithm seems to be haywire - really doubt that computers randomly delete data - did you try to locate the initiating device / process - I am curious what the outcome was - the whole point is securing and syncing data - this seems to be exactly the opposite - I also keep another backup drive - but jeepers we should not have to... Now I really don't know what other service there is that doesn't have the same hiccup - have you found alternatives with more favorable reviews??? Hope you get it sorted. M
- currentcapital8 years agoHelpful | Level 6
Unfortunately haven't been able to isolate what the issue is.
As I'm the only person with access to this particular set of documents, and that it has happened in such a localised area but in huge volume (i.e. 10,000 files!), it has to be something to do with Dropbox itself.
As is usually done by the "helpful" Super Users on the boards, it's nothing to do with the software (obviously) and it must be me with the fastest fingers deleting all these files.
Not found a substitute yet, but am actively looking. Will report back once I've got something which hopefully helps everyone else who is running into this problem.
Best of luck.
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