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Forum Discussion
Desktop Application Will Not Allow Existing Dropbox Folder to Be Used. Error: "The folder already contains a Dropbox directory."
I have been a happy user of Dropbox for years. Until recently . . .
Dropbox recently quit working properly. The latest issue today was that it failed to load the "platform plugin windows." The ...
You should not select the Dropbox folder but the folder you wish Dropbox to be placed in. Then it will be installed in that folder.
If its on a 2nd drive and not in a folder, simply select the Drive in the chooser window.
At least this is what I am thinking based upon your post. I made this same issue at first when trying to move Dropbox all those years ago.
The installer will let you choose the location. It on the last screen before it closes under the advanced settings. Many users myself included think Dropbox was already being installed in the default location at this point in the process but it was still waiting.
Rich
Super User II
Super User IIWhy would you say that? Dropbox maps to a drive letter and it doesn't care whether that letter is an internal drive, a thumb drive, an external drive, a virtual file container, or otherwise.
Because that's what Dropbox (the company, not the software) has said all along. And yes, Dropbox (the software) cares...
Yes, it's possible, with workarounds, but if you're tricking the application to think the folder is being moved to an internal drive, that's not the same as saying that it's a supported configuration. The above error message proves that. Try to move Dropbox to removable media using the option in Preferences, and that's the error you'll see. Trick it, either by using subst or some other process, and yes, it will move the folder as if it were an internal drive, but to say that the application supports the removable media at that point is like saying a half-ton pickup truck can support a 2-ton load. Will it work? Sure. Is it meant to? No. Will bad things happen? Possibly, eventually.
Dropbox certainly "supports" these drives, in the sense that the Dropbox application will work with them (which is the normal usage of the term in this context).
My usage of the term was also correct in the context that it was used in. Please stick to the topic at hand rather than policing my grammar.
Dropbox (the company, not the software) does not support storing the Dropbox folder on removable media. Yes, it is possible, with workarounds, but Dropbox (again, the company) will not support that configuration because data loss can (and does) occur. By storing your Dropbox folder on such media you are risking the loss of your files.
Note: The Dropbox help article about moving the Dropbox folder now states "any location on your hard drive or external hard drive." This is a recent change which I've asked our contacts within Dropbox to clarify given the error message produced above when I just tried to move Dropbox to an external drive as a test.
