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Forum Discussion
Multiple Computer Accounts but Single Dropbox account
I want to have multiple accounts on my PC to allow for different i-Tunes libraries but allow dropbox to sync the same location on the drive. Is this possible?
Ex: c:\dropbox is synced via the same ...
Don't bother to move the installation files, the auto update feature puts each new version in the user profile anyway.
Additionally and more importantly it also uses the user profile location to house its local database of what its up to for that user.
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On the local DROPBOX folder, This can be migrated to a common location for multiple user accounts, you are only facing a "your dumb Im cleaver prompt", once you have the folder at C:\DROPBOX (example) on the 1st account, shut that account down, and proceed to the 2nd account, RENAME the C:\DROPBOX folder to C:\DROPBOX-OMGWHYDOIHAVETODOTHIS! and then point the 2nd user accoutn DB app to use C:\DROPBOX, and then once established, SHUT IT DOWN. Go back to the C:\DROPBOX folder (which might have a few files in it by now) and REMOVE the folder, then rename C:\DROPBOX-OMGWHYDOIHAVETODOTHIS! to C:\DROPBOX, then start the DB app up again.
It will tell you all types of wonderfull things about what its up to, but it will really just index the files it found and compare them to the cloud copies, find they are the same and eventually say "UP TO DATE".
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WARNING WARNING WARNING > READ THE FOLLOWING
Do NOT use selective sync on either of the machine accounts, the other account doesnt know what you are doing, so if you selectively sync a folder out of dropbox with account 1 when account 2 starts up, it thinks the folder has been erased, and syncs that erase into the cloud.
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If you must use it then COPY the folders out of Dropbox first, unsync them, then MOVE the copy back in (it wont sync on that account now), then go to the second account (which wont see them as gone since you moved them back in) and then unsycn them from that one as well.
(this is asking for it tho!)
Mark
Super User II
Super User IIIt should work if you install Dropbox twice - once on each user profile and set up the Dropbox location as the same for both.
Nope - I've tried just pointing two instances to the same location. It will not allow you to switch the Dropbox location to a location where Dropbox files already exist - just like someone else said.
However, possibly you can rename the Dropbox folder temporarily while you make the move as long as the other instance of Dropbox is not running. But I see there are potential problems with this if one is using selective sync - which I do for business reasons.
- Rich
RichardOgg wrote:
But I see there are potential problems with this if one is using selective sync - which I do for business reasons.
Yes... DO NOT USE SELECTIVE SYNC when you're syncing multiple installations to a single Dropbox folder.
Scenario: You use Selective sync and uncheck a folder on the first installation. Dropbox removes that folder from the local Dropbox, as it should. You later load up installation 2, where the Selective Sync settings have not changed. It sees that a folder has been removed. It checks online, sees that it's still there and tells Dropbox to delete it. The files are now gone from both installations and your account online.
