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Forum Discussion

bob99's avatar
bob99
Helpful | Level 5
4 years ago

Stop creating a file (.dropbox.device) on every device I connect to my pc!

Simple solution had at least an option in the settings to disable this feature.   I red a lot of messages in this community going back over a year now... and I understand why it's being created t...
Desktop
Setting up the apps
  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    3 years ago

    Hi all - thanks for ongoing patience and feedback on this.

     

    Could you please let us know if you notice this behavior after installing our latest, stable version of the desktop app found on this page?

     

    Thanks so much!

MrTom's avatar
MrTom
Helpful | Level 6
3 years ago

I use Dropbox for my business on my Windows PC. I repair tech and computers and I plug devices into my computer all the time. I'm trying to transfer my customer's data to a 1TB USB drive. A while after I plug it in I see a ".dropbox.device" file created on my customer's USB drive.

 

There's no option in Dropbox (Backups->Camera Upload) or online to disable ALL camera uploads. Just "Photos Only" and "Photos and Videos". I also tried changing my AutoPlay in Windows 10 since there's a link in Settings, and that didn't work either. I delete the file, eject the drive, then reinsert the drive and it gets created again!

 

Sometimes I do NOT WANT ANY FILE TO BE WRITTEN TO A DRIVE at all! If these drives had a write protect switch, I would use it, but they don't.

 

How can I make Dropbox stop writing to my external drives without having to close Dropbox while I work, then run Dropbox when I'm done?

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    3 years ago
    Hi there, MrTom, how are you today? 

    Can you send over a screenshot of the settings you've applied after clicking "Change AutoPlay Settings" in the Backups tab of the app preferences? 

    Thank you so much!
    • MrTom's avatar
      MrTom
      Helpful | Level 6
      3 years ago

      Megan  Well I don't use the Dropbox app, I use the Dropbox software for Windows. These are my Windows Auto Play settings.

       

    • kenleese's avatar
      kenleese
      New member | Level 2
      3 years ago

      Please get rid of this IDIOTIC annoyance. 

      • Megan's avatar
        Megan
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        3 years ago

        Hey everyone! 

        I've contacted our Team, and it seems the best way to go about it would be through our ticketing system so we can have a more specific look into what's causing this. 

        Both me and the team understand this is far from ideal, and we're here to help you all locate what's causing it and how to proceed next. 

        If any of you haven't tried to disable the feature, please give it a go. For the ones that you've tried it and you still face the same behavior, I'd be happy to reach out in order for us to investigate further. 

         

        If you're on a paid plan, you can always contact our Support team here. 

        Reply back to me, letting me know if that'd be okay, and I'd be happy to do so. 

        Thanks everyone!

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