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Preserving time-date stamps

When I download a file from my dropbox account, it gets a new time-date stamp. When I download a folder and extract the zipped folder, all the files get new time-date stamps. It's important for me to preserve the original time-date stamps. How can I retrieve my files and folders with the original time-date information they had when I uploaded them to Dropbox? Using Windows 7.

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Jay

Hi John, when you’re downloading the files from the website, indeed with any site, the ‘date modified’ or ‘date created’ will be for that moment, since the file didn’t exist before that period.

If you’re using the Dropbox desktop application, then when the files sync down to your machine the dates and times will remain as they were, though the date modified would be the last time someone has edited the files.

Hope this helps to clarify matters!

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Jay

Hope this helps to clarify matters!

John64

Jay - thank you - that's very helpful. I did a test with the Dropbox desktop app. I did selective sync on a folder - unchecked it. It disappeared from the dropbox folder on my computer. Then I went back to selective sync and checked it. It came back to my dropbox folder and each file had the original time-date stamp. Problem solved - thank you. Now I want to do this with all my folders because my hard drive is nearly full. I'll get a new laptop and sync all the folders to the new laptop. Just to be clear - this is the correct process for moving all of my folders through Dropbox to the new laptop while preserving original time-date stamps on the files. Is that correct?

Jay

That’s correct, though technically you’re not moving the files to the new laptop, but simply adding another device to sync your account to!

Since it is a new link, the Dropbox desktop application will sync the files down to that machine, just like they did with your current machine, with the timestamps as listed on the site.

Since I assume you’re going to stop using the old laptop, make sure to unlink it from the desktop app to prevent any accidental deletions from your account, if you intend to format or sell it later and delete the files from the machine.

Glad to hear that the solution worked for you, John!

jaresing

That is sooooo upsetting. So I drag a folder into dropbox and the modified time is now! I then down load it five minutes from now and the modified time is also five minute from now. Is this true? Seems like it. Sorry, that is messed up. I wish I could stay, but that will never ever do.

Jay

If you’re dragging a folder onto the Dropbox site, then technically you are creating those files online for the first time, hence the modification date would be now.

If instead you moved the folder into the Dropbox folder, assuming you have the Dropbox desktop application installed, you’ll keep the original dates, like I mentioned above.

jaresing

I'm not allowed to use the dropbox application on my computer because the synchronization is unattended. I have another sync program that allows me to do the synchronization on demand. Unfortunately it has the same time stamp issue. Which means I either need a new third party sync program or need to go to a cloud storage site that my current sync app will work correctly with. I tested Google. It works. I probably should test one drive and amazon . I just need to figure out which of the big three I will regretfully go to.

jaresing

"technically you are creating those files online for the first time,"

This is such a nonsense answer. It would be a side splitter if it weren't such a frustrating, untrue answer. When I copy a file onto a memory stick or an exernal hard drive it manages to keep the date modified. When I copy files from dropbox onto my computer it gets the date modified correct too. So why can't up load to dropbox and keep the correct modified dates....and no, don't tell me they that they are being created for the first time.

I feel sorry for all those people who upload their picuters only to find that they now all have a date modified as today. What a blessed joke.

Rich

@jaresing wrote:
and no, don't tell me they that they are being created for the first time.

Ok, I won't tell you that, but it's true.

I feel sorry for all those people who upload their picuters only to find that they now all have a date modified as today.

That's what the Date Taken field in a photo's EXIF data is for. The modified date of a file can change easily with many different file actions, none of which are restricted to Dropbox functionality. It's not the date you should be relying on for when a photo was taken.

jaresing

Yeah, that is what shows up when I sort my files (not really).

Its not my pictres I am worried about, it is the rest of my work file history. Modified/saved dates are crucial peices of information.

The first cloud operation to actually figure this out wins! To say it is not a problem is moronic, but yet at dropbox we get people like you who always tell the customer that it is their fault. Like a salesman......."you don't need that feature." At the very least you could pretend like Dropbox is forward thinking and trying to solve its shortcomings. Instead we get somthing even you don't beleive "they are being created for the first time." Nonsense. I can use an external hard drive, I can FTP, I can copy files from fropbox onto my computer and retain this basic inofrmation but upload them into Dropbox and that very basic information is lost. If I wasn't already bald I would be pulling out my hair.

Heenanmeister

Thanks, works for me.

Jazzee

For the record, we use both Dropbox and Google Drive and we use the web interface. Google preserves the original file date and time and displays it as such. Also, any FTP program for file transfer to an FTP or Webserver preserves the date and time. Dropbox is in the minority as far as it not reading the file date and time and preserving it when you upload to Dropbox.

mensa0505

How do I do this with my iphone? I am trying to download or "move" my dropbox pictures to my iphone but when I do, it gives it a new timestamp. I had downloaded 7 pictures and they did download with the original timestamp and now, it is not doing that. Why would it change?

robnyland

This doesnt work for me—with folders, the date shown is the date it synced to the computer, not the date it was last used . This messes up the whole "recently used" at top order that I rely on. It drives me insane. I get a new laptop and sync w deskptop app and all tjhe folders that sync to new computer have that day. Inside the contents ahev their last used date but th fodlers are all the same date. It's insane, everyone hates it and I dont know why they cant fix it. is there a workaround? I want my folders to stay with last used/opened date. Even on new Mac.

jaresing

Welcome to the big dropbox problem.