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Dropbox v169.4.5684 not syncing

Dear Dropbox Forum,

Since the update the Dropbox to v169.4.5684, it has completely stopped working - not sync at all. It does not start automatically when Windows starts (Windows 10). When I manually start the app and click on the taskbar icon, Dropbox displays the message: "Dropbox is experiencing some issues. Before opening online-only files and folders, right-click and choose Make available offline."

I have tried restarting the computer and changing the wifi network (including trying a mobile hotspot), but nothing works.

And seeing this post https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Create-upload-and-share/Sync-Issue-Windows-10-Sync-Stuck/td-p/599377 , I tried to do the same thing, but I cannot even uninstall Dropbox.

When I go to Apps --> Apps & Features --> Dropbox and click Uninstall, it says: "Windows cannot find 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client\DropboxUninstaller.exe'.

Then I check the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client' folder; indeed, the Uninstaller file is not there.

Instead I find the file DropboxUninstaller.exe in the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client_169.4.5684' folder. But when clicking on it, it shows: "Dropbox fails to uninstall." And the green progress bar stops. When I copy this Uninstaller file to the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client' folder, clicking Uninstall shows the same error message and the process is just stuck.

I also notice something strange:

The folder 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client_169.4.5684' does not contain the 'Dropbox.exe' application file.
The folder 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client' contains a 'newDropbox.exe' application file (which never launches when Windows starts anymore).

Please help. Thank you very much.

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Pichaya

Dear Megan,

Thank you very much for your quick reply. After posting that I tried another route and solved it by forcing a reinstallation. I think what happened during the previous automatic update to v169.4.5684 was that the Dropbox client was blocked by the antivirus software (Kaspersky). Below are the steps in case anyone else is having the same problem. Not sure if this is a proper process, but it worked for me.

I downloaded the installer, but during the first time I ran it, there was an error saying that the installer cannot write files in the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\client' folder.
I then manually deleted all files in the said folder before running the installer again.
During the installation, the antivirus software flags up the Dropbox.exe file as a trojan. I think during the automatic update, this also happened, but back then I probably quarantined it or something, thinking it was a genuine threat. However, this time I clicked 'Allow once' (or something along that line I did not capture the screen).
Installation was done, and now Dropbox is working again!

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Megan

Hi @Pichaya, welcome to our Community!

In order to fix this uninstall issue, and the error message you see on the app, would you mind opening the "Task Manager" by right-clicking the taskbar and clicking "Start Task Manager".

Then please click on the "Processes" tab to see if there are any other processes associated with Dropbox that may be preventing Dropbox from being removed from your device. You may need to click "Show processes from all users" to check all processes.

Once you are viewing these processes, if you see any items that refer to Dropbox, or recognize any programs that you may have linked to Dropbox, please perform the following steps for each applicable process:

- Click on the line that references the process to select it
- Click on "End Process"

After you've done so, please try to follow the normal uninstall instructions.

Let me know of any updates!

Pichaya

Dear Megan,

I downloaded the installer, but during the first time I ran it, there was an error saying that the installer cannot write files in the 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\client' folder.
I then manually deleted all files in the said folder before running the installer again.
During the installation, the antivirus software flags up the Dropbox.exe file as a trojan. I think during the automatic update, this also happened, but back then I probably quarantined it or something, thinking it was a genuine threat. However, this time I clicked 'Allow once' (or something along that line I did not capture the screen).
Installation was done, and now Dropbox is working again!

Megan

Amazing news @Pichaya!

Also, thank you for sharing the steps you followed. If you need anything else, we'll be one post away.

Enjoy the rest of your week ahead! 😎