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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, I have to respectfully disagree. The software allows you to use an external drive. There is even a help page from Dropbox that specifically says you can have your Dropbox folder on an external drive.
Does the company recommended it? Of course not. Dropbox doesn't want to provide customer support for all the people who might screw it up. They hardly provide any customer support as it is, so they definitely don't want to take on something out of the ordinary.
As I said in my post, Dropbox warns about the possibility of losing data *if* your external drive isn't properly connected or is disconnected during an operation. In other words, similar to the normal concerns of using removable media. As long as you are careful with your external drive, this should not be an issue.
The software definitely allows (i.e., supports) using Dropbox on an external drive. I have my Dropbox in a container that I can move around onto external drives, thumb drives, and the like. As long as I map it to the expected drive letter, Dropbox doesn't care what kind of media it is on. I've been using this approach for years.
Here are the real facts:
