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Forum Discussion

Daniel18's avatar
Daniel18
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Windows User Account Control (UAC) keeps popping up

Do you want to allow this program to make changes to your computer? Dropbox.exe VERY ANNOYING.  Comes up all the time.  Was working fine for at least a year now, and suddenly I keep getting thi...
Desktop
Error Messages
Setting up the apps
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
     Hey Daniel18, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this behavior on our Community & welcome aboard, I’d happily check back with you on this inquiry!
     
    You may keep in mind that you’re getting this message, as you’ll need to update the Dropbox desktop application to the latest version (50.4.71), so it’s advisable to ensure that you’re running this one on your affected device(s). Also, it seems that you’ve chosen to install Dropbox on a different user profile (& not the admin one on your pc). 
     
    You should be able to install Dropbox without admin privileges. The key is to say "No" when Windows prompts you for the admin's password. 
     
    That said, we recommend installing Dropbox with admin privileges as some features, like overlay icons, rely on it.
     
    Hopefully this info addresses your inquiry, though please do let me know here if I’ve misunderstood your request or you have any additional questions. Thanks again for posting us & happy Monday! 
Jane's avatar
Jane
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago
 Hey Daniel18, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this behavior on our Community & welcome aboard, I’d happily check back with you on this inquiry!
 
You may keep in mind that you’re getting this message, as you’ll need to update the Dropbox desktop application to the latest version (50.4.71), so it’s advisable to ensure that you’re running this one on your affected device(s). Also, it seems that you’ve chosen to install Dropbox on a different user profile (& not the admin one on your pc). 
 
You should be able to install Dropbox without admin privileges. The key is to say "No" when Windows prompts you for the admin's password. 
 
That said, we recommend installing Dropbox with admin privileges as some features, like overlay icons, rely on it.
 
Hopefully this info addresses your inquiry, though please do let me know here if I’ve misunderstood your request or you have any additional questions. Thanks again for posting us & happy Monday! 
  • matt25's avatar
    matt25
    Helpful | Level 5
    6 years ago

    I'm seeing the same error. Pretty much every hour it pops up asking to make changes.

    I've tried deleting the (excessive number of) scheduled tasks that dropbox creates, but even that didnt fix it.

    Pressing yes does nothing. Pressing no does nothing.

    I'm on version 67.4.83. Please fix the root cause of the issue.

    Matt

    • Jane's avatar
      Jane
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      6 years ago
      Hey Matt (matt25), please accept my apologies for the slight delay getting back in touch with you. Based on your description, it seems that you’ve missed our last desktop app update (70.4.93) & I’d recommend following the steps outlined below to correct the permissions issue you're describing us:
       
      (Note: Please be sure to take note or take a screenshot of any Selective Sync settings you may have applied prior to re-installing in case you need to re-apply these settings upon re-install.)
       
      Spoiler
      #1.  Verify that the Windows UAC levels are set to default levels. This can be changed in your Security settings in the control panel. For more information about UAC levels please see this resource. 
       
      #2. Uninstall the application following these steps. Please note that you do not need to remove the Dropbox folder or any files stored there. 
       
      #3. Download the newest version of the Dropbox application. 
       
      #4. Once you have download the install file, double-click on the file to run the installer. Please do NOT launch the installer by right-clicking on the file and selecting "Run as admin" as this will lead to incorrect install permissions.

      #5. During the installation process, you may be prompted for the Admin username and password of your computer. Please be sure and provide the username and password of your Admin user account on your computer.

      #6. Finally, when prompted, enter the email address of the Dropbox account you are using on this computer and if needed, check the advanced preferences to apply any Selective Sync settings.
      Hopefully this is helpful to you & please do let me know how you get on with these steps in your next reply here!
      • matt25's avatar
        matt25
        Helpful | Level 5
        6 years ago

        Hi Jane 

        Thanks for getting back to me. I followed the instructions and its fixed the issue.

        Given the number of people hitting this issue, please consider getting the team to workaround it in the scheduler/upgrader, rather than putting the onus on the customer to fix.

        Thanks,
        Matt

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