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currentcapital's avatar
currentcapital
Helpful | Level 6
8 years ago

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...
Delete
Restore
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
     
    Hey Daz, 
     
    Welcome 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! 
currentcapital's avatar
currentcapital
Helpful | Level 6
I've gone with a similar strategy.

1 - Sync.com for working files
2- NAS backup for local back-up
3- Amazon Glacier for Archiving

Make sure in your NAS set-up you use RAID5 or something similar to ensure that a failed HDD doesn't ruin the array or cause you any other hassle.

Best of luck!
Watts H.'s avatar
Watts H.
Helpful | Level 6
8 years ago

Thanks for that.

 

Like the sound of your approach:  belt + suspenders + duct tape.

 

I'm with you on the RAID5 or equivalent approach -- has occured to me as the only way to hedge against HDD failures (I setup timemachine on my MAC some years ago and external HDD failed within 3 months, poof!)

 

I'm going to be in Asia/China, so will need to find some cloud service for achiving that I can reliably access...

 

Thanks for your feedback (and maintaining informed, polite, helpfulness in your posts here).

  • currentcapital's avatar
    currentcapital
    Helpful | Level 6
    8 years ago

    @Watts H

     

    Absolutely no problem, hopefully my negative experiences can help someone else avoid them!

     

    If you have the skills (and I don't by the way!), the QNAP NAS that I use has the ability to be logged into over a secure VPN while travelling. I had to get someone to set it up for me, but it works a treat on the rare occassion when I'm away from the office (and my dog...) for extended times.

     

    Enjoy the trip as well.

     

    Cheers.

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