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Forum Discussion
Dropbox keeps trying to download and sync files set to online only
I had this same issue with a particular folder when I first set up my new Windows 10 laptop, but closing and restarting Dropbox seemed to fix it. (Derp.) Today it randomly started trying to downl...
I didn't think I would have an update for today, since I got tired of waiting for Dropbox to start trying to download stuff, and paused syncing before trying to doze off. But then I started getting a swarm of Windows notifications saying Smart Sync had tried and failed to download 1400-something files, 1500-something files, 200-something files, over and over and over and OVER! It wouldn't stop! All this DESPITE Dropbox being paused! :scream:
The messages kept coming and coming so quickly I couldn't even unpause Dropbox or exit the program. It refused to close! I had to go into the Task Manager and close Dropbox as well as about four other processes that seemed to be related to it (I've never seen all those processes before) before it finally disappeared and the notifications stopped.
How on earth am I getting these weird Smart Sync notifications even with the program paused? Previously, when it started acting up, I'd make the problem files/folders online only again, then pause Dropbox, and it would stop acting up for the day. I thought I'd beat it to the punch today and pause it before it could start acting up--but it tried downloading thousands of files anyway! (And yes--while this was happening, the yellow "pause" icon was still displaying in the task tray.)
That was another new development--previously, it would try downloading one or two files at a time. Now that I paused it first, it was apparently trying to download...everything? Thousands of files.
Looking all over in my computer for anything that's scheduled, even though I never scheduled any sort of processes myself. The fact that Windows started sending me all those notifications even when Dropbox was paused makes me suspect Windows is the culprit though I have NO idea what could be causing it.
Nothing set up in the notifications area of Windows settings.
I finally found something called Task Scheduler by using search. It doesn't show anything that ran today or even in the past week:
Task status
Status of tasks that have started in the following time period: Last 7 days
Summary: 0 total--0 running, 0 succeeded, 0 stopped, 0 failed
So I looked in the listing of active tasks. There are a lot and it doesn't give specific dates/times for when most should run, but I did find one that stood out:
Task name: WarrantyChecker_DeviceScan
Next run time: 12/18/2020 4:55:08 PM
Triggers: At 4:55 PM every Friday of every week, starting 11/6/2020
Location: \Hewlett-Packard\HP Support Assistant
Hm.
Here's the thing--the time is off, plus, November 6 was the one Friday I don't recall anything happening. :/ Plus I had this issue for the Friday preceding 11/6 (10/30).
So...I don't know, and I don't know why HP Support Assistant (much less something called "WarrantyChecker"?) would have anything to do with Dropbox Smart Sync. But that's all I've been able to find.
Anyway, I'm turning Dropbox back on and hoping nothing else weird happens...
Precisely!
In case you didn't see my earlier message:
I read your whole thread with complete empathy. I have been facing this issue for years. I've even tried TWICE in the past years to contact Dropbox for help (I got tickets too!). Basically I've now given up. I've been told so many times the explanation that it's because something I do on my laptop activates some folder in Dropbox, though sometimes it really can't be possible, because I'm doing something totally unconnected to the folder that starts to sync. And mine happens any time, not just on Fridays.
I've followed online threads on this issue (not many - this is the clearest) but no help. Or so technical the discussion that it loses me.
I've resigned myself to conclude that the Dropbox people don't know how to deal with this, or it's such an obscure issue they're not looking into it - they just repeat the same message to me about .... what you said.
And yes, many times my laptop says that I'm running out of space. At that point, I know that Dropbox files have started downloading / syncing AGAIN, and I just have to go set them to "Online only" AGAIN, and AGAIN and AGAIN. Sometimes I just forcibly PAUSE syncing to give myself peace of mind
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hey all, I hope you're doing well!
I really want to thank you for your extensive feedback here. It has been very valuable and I will endeavor to make sure your voice is heard.
I see where you're coming from and I understand why this has caused some turbulence on your end.
If you wish, valtham, I'd be more than happy to look into your ticket numbers, from your communication with our Support. Feel free to share them with me here, in order for me to locate them on our system.
I will pass on your comments to the relevant departments so that we can further improve our support service and product, so that we can create a much better experience for you.
Thanks!
Hm. As soon as I turned it on, a Windows notification said Smart Sync wasn't working and the popup in Dropbox says this:
"Smart Sync is experiencing an issue. To open online-only files and folders, right-click and choose Smart Sync and then Local." And there's a link: https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/sync-uploads/smart-sync-experiencing-issue
Not sure how to fix this...or if anything's even broken. Aren't I supposed to make files local if I want to open them, anyway? :/ All the Smart Sync icons on the folders/files look the same as always--green checkmarks (local), white-and-green checkmarks (mixed), gray clouds (online only).
- Lusil
Hey Rachel L. - thanks for keeping us in the loop and for all the troubleshooting you've done so far on this.
At this point, I'd recommend having a more in-depth look into this issue with our team.
Could you have a look at your Support options from this page?
If you can submit a ticket, please do so and let us know its ID (eg. #1234567) so that we can pass all your comments from here along to the one who'll be reviewing this for you.
Lusil Sorry it took me so long (anxiety) but I submitted an e-mail ticket since chat is difficult for me. I wasn't sure which category to choose so I went with "The Dropbox app" and I wasn't sure how to summarize such a lengthy issue so I sent a link to this thread. The ticket number is #12049248.
- LusilNo worries! Thanks for letting me know, Rachel L.
I've made sure to forward your comments to the member of my team who's reviewing this for you.
Whenever you have the chance, check your inbox for their latest message and don't hesitate to get back to them with any additional information.
Cheers! The problem persists and has only gotten worse. Since last night now it seems to do it any time, any day I turn on Dropbox and navigate to my Windows Explorer folders. Last night it was just trying to download one e-book but today it's trying to download TENS OF THOUSANDS of files from numerous folders! I mark them as online only over and over and it just keeps trying to download them all! Clicking "cancel" on the occasions it brings a popup message works only temporarily, then it tries again; but now that it's doing all these files at once, there's no way to stop it. A few moments ago it wasn't trying to do this much, but now it is.
Previously I could at least predict the day and time it would do this and avoid turning on Dropbox then, but when it can just decide to do it every night when I'm manually backing up my files, how am I supposed to use this program properly?
I don't have room on my computer for all those files! How do I stop this from happening? I'm sorry to be so frustrated but this has been going on for months now and I really can't deal with all these files always trying to download. 😞 At least when it was just that one file it would always fail to download, but these ones look like they're going to download whether I try to stop them or not. I have no idea what's going to happen when I turn Dropbox on and try again but I have to, to back up my files!
Oh by the way, I very greatly changed up my file organization since I was last here, completely different folders, reorganized files, but that hasn't changed the problem any. All these folders are set NOT to index so that's not the issue. Virus scan wasn't running so that's not the issue. It happens literally when I open Windows Explorer so that's obviously related--but I need to use that program to view my files and modify them (I don't modify them through the app because I need to view the Windows properties).
I can't even figure out how to open the Dropbox app even if I wanted to, anymore. Since I have to go into Windows Explorer to make these folders online only, it's going to keep trying to download them! 😞
I've opened Dropbox in the desktop app version, Windows Explorer is closed, and am trying to tell it to make folders online only through the app but that's not working, either! So it's not just Windows Explorer causing it now, it's Dropbox! I keep clicking online only for this particular folder and it never selects it!
I'm really sorry for my hysteria but I don't know if I have the space for so many files, plus it won't back up the few files I WANT backed up until it's done doing all these. Tens of thousands of online-only files and I can't make them online only whether I use Windows Explorer or the Dropbox app. 😞
Restarting the computer & restarting Dropbox didn't help. 😞
