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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 cop...
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.
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
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.
Yes, that's what I am talking about.
As you know, internal hard drives are not large enough, so that's why people use external drives.
What I am asking of you is to make an easy change to your software so that users get a warning if the entire drive gets disconnected. It takes probably two lines of code to implement it. All the message should say is 'are you sure that you want to delete 3.7 TB of files from your account, yes/no'.
Such an option may already exist. Can you please check if it does and, if not, please implement it.
Thanks.
I have already lost many dozens of hours dealing with such issues with Dropbox.
As you know, internal hard drives are not large enough, so that's why people use external drives.
What I am asking of you is to make an easy change to your software so that users get a warning if the entire drive gets disconnected. It takes probably two lines of code to implement it. All the message should say is 'are you sure that you want to delete 3.7 TB of files from your account, yes/no'.
Such an option may already exist. Can you please check if it does and, if not, please implement it.
Thanks.
I have already lost many dozens of hours dealing with such issues with Dropbox.
Totally with you @dragomirradev
It's crazy, we run a design studio with very large files that need to be worked on locally and use external drives as laptop HDs aren't big enough. we have recently had a few instances of exactly this. Never used to.
To the point today where our whole studio has 11 hours of re-syncing because one user disconnected their external drive and it instantly deleted all the files. All the effort dropbox put into security and this is a huge weak link.
Sorry to say that today is the last straw and will be looking at alternative solutions as support just said..."yep, that's what dropbox does, be careful"
Just happened again!
Last straw I'm afraid Dropbox.
Been with you years but sat here late at night trying to restore files and re-sync 600K files.
Moving providers tomorrow.
This is nuts!
Agreed - this is an insane weakness in the otherwise strong Dropbox solution.
It should simply not be possible for this to occur. No excuses on limitations. Think differently about this.
Add to this the limitations of expanding internal storage in a Macbook and this is becoming virtually an unusable (or at the very least - dangerous) - solution in Mac based studios......(I work with a Landscape design studio - this has happened once to us so far.)
It flies in the face of all the efforts Dropbox are making to support team operations.......
Our incident was an accident - but I could describe another scenario where someone with an understanding of this limitation could willfully trash a company's Team Dropbox content by a single action of unplugging an external drive before walking out the door.
