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Forum Discussion
Dropbox backup - I never asked for it, but it busted my storage limit
Hi,
I've been using Dropbox Basic for about 10 years. About a year ago, to get more (free and EU-based) space, I signed up for pCloud, which also allowed me to back up Dropbox. All good, until ...
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
GlasgowJill wrote:
My question is: DB backup is a paid service.
It's not just a paid service. Yes, there is a paid plan called Dropbox Backup that allows unlimited space for the backup of a single computer. It's like a Basic account in that it includes 2GB of space for regular file syncing (the feature you're used to), but also includes unlimited space for the backup of your computer and a single external drive.
The Backup feature, which is available to all accounts including free Basic accounts, is different. The backup feature works in a similar fashion but it's still limited to the amount of space available within your account. If you have a Basic account with 2GB and the backup feature is used to back up 1GB of data, you'll have 1GB of space available for syncing your files.
I did not sign up for it or consent to it at any time.
The backup feature is available on all accounts. There's nothing to consent to, though you do need to enable it. It cannot enable itself. Either you enabled it manually in Preferences, or it was enabled during the installation process. It's very easy to miss the prompt during install asking if you want to enable it, especially if you just click click click through the install prompts.
I regard my files on Dropbox as already backed up because they're on my hard drive as well as the cloud.
Don't make that mistake. Yes, having files in both locations can be seen, sort of, as a backup, but in reality, it's not. Delete a file on your computer and it's deleted in the cloud. That's not a backup; that's file synchronization. Yes, you have some limited restore capabilities, but they pale when compared to an actual backup service.
The backup feature tries to narrow the gap between file synchronization and file backup. It's still lacking but is more closely related to a true backup than a file sync would be. Case in point, files backed up using the backup feature are stored separately from your regular files.
Having two cloud storage systems on the go at once is a recipe for disaster.
So true, especially if you're storing one service's sync folder within another, which many people try to so.
Hi Rich and Jay,
Here's a question for you both: how do I back up the files in my DB on top of having them synced? (So, two separate things, if I have understood correctly). The DB folder lives in the Users part of my c drive which is not including in the backup menu. I access files directly from the DB shortcut on my desktop.
Thanks!
- Jay
Dropbox Staff
You can have both services running at the same time. Dropbox Backup will run to keep those folders backed up on the site, as a one-way sync from computer to site.
The normal Dropbox syncing service has the files in the Dropbox folder, and they sync to and from the site, and from other devices as well.
I'm still confused. I have my key working files in Dropbox, not in Documents. When I look at the Backup set up, I don't see how my synced files in Dropbox could also be included in the Backup. As I said before, the DB folder lives in the Users part of my c drive, which is not included in the Backup menu.
Thanks!
-Jill
- Jay
Could you attach a screenshot showing what you're describing in order to understand this in more detail?
