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Forum Discussion
Couldn't start Dropbox permissions error
Hi,
My dropbox app won't open at all anymore. I get a Couldn't Open Dropbox message saying it's usually a permissions error. I've been through my shared folders on the webpage and checked and r...
Hi again Andy Coda,
The dummy file you have created seems Ok. That proves the issue is not in your default settings. It appears exactly as has to be. The commands you have executed, as listed, can't be a reason for the issue observed. Still not clear what could be the reason, but let's try fix it by hands. At the beginning what shows the list of troublesome folder? Post the result of:
ls -al /Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Frameworks/DropboxCrashpad.framework/Versions/A
Next try fix the problem using following commands:
sudo chown -R "$USER" /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R a+r /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R u+w /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R go-w /Applications/Dropbox.appExecute the first (ls) command again. Is something changed? 🧐
Hope this helps.
Hi Здравко
So, I did the commands as listed for the dummy list, hope I understood correctly, and this is the result of the ls command:
-rw-r--r-- 1 andrewmackay staff 12 20 Mar 15:13 /Users/andrewmackay/hello_world.txt
The file did appear as a txt file in that location so.
rgds
Andy
Hi again Andy Coda,
The dummy file you have created seems Ok. That proves the issue is not in your default settings. It appears exactly as has to be. The commands you have executed, as listed, can't be a reason for the issue observed. Still not clear what could be the reason, but let's try fix it by hands. At the beginning what shows the list of troublesome folder? Post the result of:
ls -al /Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Frameworks/DropboxCrashpad.framework/Versions/A
Next try fix the problem using following commands:
sudo chown -R "$USER" /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R a+r /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R u+w /Applications/Dropbox.app
chmod -R go-w /Applications/Dropbox.app
Execute the first (ls) command again. Is something changed? 🧐
Hope this helps.
I'm having the same issue. Except that I just used the Migration Assistant on my new laptop from a Time Machine backup. I found this other info, but it didn't work for me. So now I'm lost.
Hi HleeLee,
Take in mind that the initial error message is a template pretty same for almost all kind of critical issues Dropbox application encounters. The same message dialog definitely doesn't mean the same issue! When you are saying:
HleeLee wrote:I'm having the same issue. ...
... what do you actually mean? 🤔 Is it the same log text or not? The dialog is saying the same even if there is an issue not directly related to permission! 😉
Hope this clarifies matter, why so many different solutions related to the "same" message.
To me, it looks very close to what the OP said (below).
I also attached a screen grab of the error popping up even after it says my permissions were fixed. I've also restarted after doing this, nothing changes. I've uninstalled and reinstalled. I reinstalled my OS (Big Sur). So far nothing has worked.
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 118.4.460
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 47
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 7995f91a-65d8-575a-8e97-d76493f7e6d2
pid: 1212
ppid: 1
uid: 503
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='HleeLeeKron', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Hlee Lee Kron', pw_dir='/Users/HleeLeeKron', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='HleeLeeKron', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Hlee Lee Kron', pw_dir='/Users/HleeLeeKron', 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', 'HleeLeeKron', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'HleeLeeKron', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/HleeLeeKron'
appdata: '/Users/HleeLeeKron/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/Users/HleeLeeKron/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
dropbox_path: '/Users/HleeLeeKron/Dropbox'
real_path='/Users/HleeLeeKron/Dropbox'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 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/dw/6ntvgsfs53b3pl_bl8746dhw0000gq/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/dw/6ntvgsfs53b3pl_bl8746dhw0000gq/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 817, in wrapper
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6387, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 5890, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 5800, in create_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 239, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 295, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 176, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 143, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 232, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 625, in _init_new_engine_locked
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 206, in __init__
File "extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 79, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to register icons |>> Opening dst |>> open syscall |>> Permission denied"
So the result of the first command is:
total 2256
drwxrwxrwx@ 5 andrewmackay staff 170 16 Mar 18:06 .
drwxrwxrwx@ 4 andrewmackay staff 136 16 Mar 17:58 ..
-rwxrwxrwx@ 1 andrewmackay staff 1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad
drwxrwxrwx@ 3 andrewmackay staff 102 16 Mar 17:58 Resources
drwxrwxrwx@ 3 andrewmackay staff 102 16 Mar 17:58 _CodeSignature
Andis-iMac:~ andrewmackay$
and here is the ls command again after running those commands:
total 2256
drwxr-xr-x@ 5 andrewmackay staff 170 16 Mar 18:06 .
drwxr-xr-x@ 4 andrewmackay staff 136 16 Mar 17:58 ..
-rwxr-xr-x@ 1 andrewmackay staff 1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad
drwxr-xr-x@ 3 andrewmackay staff 102 16 Mar 17:58 Resources
drwxr-xr-x@ 3 andrewmackay staff 102 16 Mar 17:58 _CodeSignature
Andis-iMac:~ andrewmackay$
to me looks the same, excpet the '-' has moved, if that means anything.
Andy Coda wrote:
...-rwxrwxrwx@ 1 andrewmackay staff 1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad
...
and here is the ls command again after running those commands:
...-rwxr-xr-x@ 1 andrewmackay staff 1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad
...to me looks the same, excpet the '-' has moved, if that means anything.
Yes, it means, definitely. Did you see 'w'? That means 'write' permission. The Dropbox application complains you have given too many permissions to everybody. Do you remember? On first list, there are 3 'w's! The first is your permission, second is group (staff) permission, and the last is for everybody else (the same for 'r' - read and 'x' - execution for file or enter for directory). In second list for the same file only you personally have write permission. Let's see the end result: Does the Dropbox application runs normally? If not, is the error log the same? Post it, if any.
It's good idea to figure out how exactly you have all these permissions given erroneously and no repeat it anymore! Try recall what you have done short before the problem rise up.
I've just restarted my computer after the last set of commands, and it's working normally again now! Thank you!
Not too sure what caused it. I accepted an invite yesterday and requested access from my email as it had been shared to my other email which I don't have set up on the app. But that was all via my phone app, not the computer. I then tried deleting a folder I had shared with me and that hung so I force quit, in fact, the whole computer hung and I had to force shutdown. Maybe it caused a glitch somehow?
Anyways, sorted! Really appreciate your help and guidance!
rgds
Andy
