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

Old versions of Documents replacing new versions

I have two laptops, Windows 8.1 (my main device) and Windows 10 which I rarely use.  8.1 had to go into a repair shop so i set about setting up dropbox on W10 with dropbox. It had some old files on i...
desktop
Download
sync
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    7 years ago
    Hey mrswilliam & Wilu, I appreciate it that you both circled back to me here letting me know of your current state of affairs. Initially I’m glad to hear that you’ve both been able to work around the previous syncing issues & I’m here to send you some pro-active tips for future reference!
     
    Now mrswilliam, I’m right on the same page with you after the last bit you added in your last post that your deleted files re-appeared & I can confirm that you took the most appropriate course of action, therefore you may reference the same set of steps in case you experience that again in the future. 
     
    Spoiler
    Often when you delete files or folders, they don’t immediately disappear from every synced computer. If you have a synced computer running an application that is using the file, that will cause the file to reappear in your Dropbox account. Or, if you’re seeing a shared file or folder reappear after deletion, it may be that a person you shared it with is accessing it.
     
    If you check the previous versions of the file and see that it was accessed from an application on another computer, you can delete it off of that computer to stop it from reappearing in your Dropbox.
    Following, when it comes to your remarks Wilu, you may have an additional look on my post here that explains how Conflicted Copies are created & ways to avoid them, as well as some tips regarding versioning. 
     
    Once again, thanks a lot to both for your ongoing cooperation & contribution on this conversation, it’s been a pleasure discussing this behavior with you, as each interaction helped me shape a slightly more coherent picture of what you were experiencing. 
     
    Our Community wall is always open to further inquiries or feedback & it’ll be a pleasure to hear back from you in the future. Happy syncing & take care until we talk again! 
Wilu's avatar
Wilu
Explorer | Level 4

Hi Jane,

- where / how can I read the version Number of my Dropbox?

- I am not using Symlinks

- I have checked Security: ok

- if I run both CP with open Dropbox, syncing works fine from both sides: I get File version(1) on both CP

- if CP B is off and I update a file on CP A to file version(2), save and then start CP B, I get file version(1) synced on both CP. I have now found a copy of the file version(2) with a conflict-comment

- I think, the idea of using a web-uploader to update the files is not the idea of Dropbox

- is it correct, that we have 3 copies of the files: 1 each on CP A, CP B and in the "Dropbox-Cloud"?

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

I'm going to have the same issues as Wilu.  Both my W8.1 and W10 laptops are not going to be on and synching at the same time.  8.1 is my main PC used in the office.

W10 is the one I use occasionally when on the move... this could be offline for several days.

So if for example, I have a "Test.v01" file saved on W10 when I last used/synched this device.  Since then I have revised and saved  "Test.v02" on W8.1.  Then Two weeks later i use/synch W10 - will this now upload Test.v01 to dropbox?  Will it replace the new version Test.v02 on W8.1 while synching? 

If yes, than I will lose the work I've done on Test.v02. 

I could end up losing a lot of work I do on W8.1 in the interim 2 weeks before using restarting W10

 

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Thank you both for your swift & detailed replies here Wilu & mrswilliam & please accept my apologies for the slight delay in replying. 
     
    When it comes to your setup Wilu, it appears that everything is working as expected, though let me explain below: 
     
    where / how can I read the version Number of my Dropbox?
     
    If you’re using a pc, it should be on your bottom right-hand corner. Once you hover your mouse over the Dropbox icon, you’ll see the syncing status (eg. Up-To-Date, Indexing &c) & the version you’re running (Note: It’s 58.4.92 as of today). 
     
    - is it correct, that we have 3 copies of the files: 1 each on CP A, CP B and in the "Dropbox-Cloud"?
     
    Yes, that’s absolutely right, the website should be mirroring the changes made on each device. 
     
    - if CP B is off and I update a file on CP A to file version(2), save and then start CP B, I get file version(1) synced on both CP. I have now found a copy of the file version(2) with a conflict-comment
     
    Now, in order to trace back the behavior you’re mentioning on my end (& because you’ve mentioned that you’re also getting conflicting copies), let me investigate in a bit more depth having all our tools available & further advise how you could tackle this behavior. For that  I’ve made sure to reach out to you directly via email on my end, so as to check on one specific example. 
     
    Whenever you find some time, please check your inbox for my email & I’ll make sure to promptly get back in touch with you asap. 
     
    Secondly, when it come to your current setup mrswilliam (& based on your description), if you power your machine at regular intervals, then you shouldn’t be having an issue. It was my initial understanding that the issue appeared since you hadn’t switched on your Win10 device for a long time. In any event, to further investigate what could’ve gone wrong & further advise accordingly, I’ve made sure to reach out to you on my end, in order to determine the cause of this discrepancy. 
     
    Once you get back in touch with me, I’ll promptly follow-up with you in more detail. Thanks again for all your cooperation & prompt messages! 
    • Wilu's avatar
      Wilu
      Explorer | Level 4
      7 years ago

      Hi Jane,

      thanks for your reply. It seems, Dropbox is not checking the date/time of the files. I would expect that Dropbox is warning me, that there are different versions of a document. This should happen when uploading to the web and downloading to the computer. As long as both computers are online simultaneously it’s clear Dropbox is working fine. Files are changed immediately.  I do not understand the logic thatfiles from offline-CP always have to replace existing files. Of coures it has to check and upload non-synced files, but only with careful checks. For me it is quite normal, that not all PC‘s are online simultaneously and I work on different systems. By replacing newer versions with old versions I have lost unrepeatable work.

      • mrswilliam's avatar
        mrswilliam
        Explorer | Level 4
        7 years ago

        I concur with everything Wilu has just said.  I would expect Dropbox to check dates/times files were created and not to replace new with old.  

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