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Forum Discussion
Dropbox suddenly stopped backing up Document and Download directories and wiped previous backups
Hi, just a warning. My Dropbox suddenly stopped backing up about 95% of my Document and Downloads directories apparently a couple of days ago and deleting most files and folders including sentimental photos of my recently deceased wife, and in some cases wiped some folders or files beyond recovery. Not sure if this is a bug in the latest Dropbox app. I have talked with the help desk and eventually they agreed to escalate the problem. This is a serious issue so I thought important to advise others and see if anyone else has experienced a similar problem. I hope there is a simple fix but I am nor particularly optimistic.
- Nancy
Dropbox Staff
I’m really sorry to hear about your loss, Richard S.63, and what happened.
Feel free to send me your ticket number here, and I’ll also have a look.
Can you also clarify the app version of your Dropbox app and if you’ve had any recent updates on it?
Let me know when you’re ready.
The version and OS are 195.3.4906 and 11.26058.
I have also emailed support.
Richard
- Nancy
Thanks for the app version, Richard! Can you also send me your ticket number, as it shows in your email address? It'll most likely start from #23 and then continue with an array of numbers.
I can leave an internal note for you, so that our team may review this as soon as possible.
Hi,
For some strange reasons, many years ago I must have signed up to evaluate beta releases. An update occurred a few days ago and shortly I noticed that virtually all Dropbox backups of the folders and files in my PC Documents and Downloads directories had been deleted, and only a few were continuing to be updated. Then I discovered that some folders in my PC Documents and Downloads directories had been physically moved to other directories and now these new directories were being backed up to what previously had been the Dropbox backups of the PC Documents and Downloads. In the process, photographs which are my only memories of my recently deceased wife appear to have gone missing or misplaced along with some very important work documents.
I have a Dropbox Professional or Plus plan, whatever it is now called and a Dropbox customer for 12 years and so entitled to Dropbox Support. But I've had a lot of difficulty explaining these problems to Dropbox Support and for reasons I don't understand they have apparently labelled the case solved - which came as a bit of a surprise to me. So I don't expect any further assistance from that source, even though I'm sure my feedback on the beta problems will be useful to Dropbox.
I am not a Dropbox power user. So I urgently need some professional Dropbox support and I'm willing to pay for that.
Warmest regards,
Richard
Just to provide a bit more information. The beta versions appears to have corrupted my PC Documents and Downloads directories in slightly different ways. I apologise for the obvious ambiguity in my descriptions, but the situation is extraordinarily messy. I've spent days tracing different folders and files and matching (including duplications) to Dropbox deletions.
Previously my Documents and Downloads directories were managed under Dropbox. The beta app has returned some but not all folders to the default Documents location outside Dropbox.
As a result Dropbox has assumed that these folders no longer exist and then deleted their equivalents on Dropbox in the cloud (about 80Gb). It did, however, retain some folders (apparently at random) in the previous Dropbox Documents directory, so it is only those folders that are now being updated. In other cases, folders are now duplicated between the default Documents directory and that in Dropbox but possibly with differing contents.
For the Downloads directory, the beta version appears to have moved all Downloads back to their original location, again deleting all equivalents in the Dropbox cloud. However, it did insert a new "My files in Dropbox" directory in which all new downloads to my PC now flow, and it is only these which are reflected in the Dropbox cloud.
I am cautious about taking too much action because I may lose access to the deleted files, which hopefully can still be recovered at least in part from Dropbox in the cloud before they are wiped entirely.
I'm now slowly backup what I can find onto another provider for at least a temporary respite.
I hope at least my various reports to Dropbox might save someone else from suffering this fate and point to necessary software changes.
Referring to my last post, you can see why I am looking for some professional support.
