Child Item

Internet goes out cold the moment Dropbox app has activity

Application Affected
Dropbox App for Windows 10 / local folder
Device
Windows 10 DESKTOP
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
Windows 10
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
243.4.6956

Question or Issue
I'm using Dropbox on a paid plan for work and managing private files on top of all things. In the last two weeks Dropbox constantly causes my internet to die; just about any activity in the Dropbox Windows app and my connection goes out cold. I'm unfortunately not exactly well-versed in network related issues or how to track/trace them, but I can replicate it every single time I open my local Dropbox folder (that's hooked to the app) - my internet is dead instantly. I'm on a 150mbps plan and my down/up speed aren't bad to a point my connection would die from a traffic spike. I tried throttling the bandwidth Dropbox gets access to but my internet goes out cold regardless. Nothing else does this, it's always the moment Dropbox receives traffic that my internet gets cut. I could have countless of background processes hog my connection and have zero issues until Dropbox is opened. I have no antivirus or anything that I know of, just the basic Windows Defender. Generally I have no internet or connectivity issues, just the moment Dropbox shows activity or I open the folder it shuts off my connection.

This is very frustrating considering I'm relying on Dropbox to work at all times while also being able to stay online in Slack and so on.

Find more posts tagged with

Desktop

Windows

Comments

Walter

Hey @sinbin - thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Can you please clarify if you've tried adjusting your bandwidth settings through the app's preferences since you first noticed this?

Also, does this persist after quitting and relaunching the Dropbox desktop app and/or rebooting your computer and internet router?

Let me know more information and we'll take it from there.

sinbin

Hello!
Yes, I have throttled the bandwidth in the settings and the issue persists.
I have restarted the app, my computer and the router numerous times trying to troubleshoot the outages. I genuinely thought my internet has been wonky the last two weeks and just brushed it off until today I found out Dropbox causes it. It's bewildering to me. Sometimes between the disconnects I manage to regain connectivity and grab my files, but the moment the internet becomes stable enough and interacts with Dropbox again it shuts off immediately all over. Now that I have shut off the app and am not using Dropbox my internet works fine again, no issues. But the moment I boot it up again - disconnect.

Hannah

Thanks for the update here, @sinbin, this is definitely strange behavior.

Have you tried uninstalling the app, restarting your PC and then reinstalling it?

sinbin

I will try to do so tomorrow because it will take a bit to sync (Dropbox hosts huge file archives for us) and it's shortly before bed time. I will get back to you about the results.

But I wanted to ask if this could be because we have folders that host archives up to 4000 files? That's the only thing that has changed recently; having a lot of files at once. Nothing big, because at worst it's a PSD that's roughly ~4mb. It just it feels like Dropbox does something that immediately jams my network to death.

I am not accessing the large file archive at once also. Usually just accessing the empty root folder of Dropbox' local folder is enough to kill the connection immediately.

Hannah

I'm not sure yet, to be honest, @sinbin.

However, if the steps I gave you don't help, we'll take a deeper look to see what we can find.

Let me know when you're ready!

Megan

Hey there, @sinbin!

Just popping in to see if you've had a chance to look at our last message. Still need help? We're all ears! If the issue is sorted, let us know what worked out for you.

sinbin

My apologies for replying so late, but it turns out it was a faulty drive. I've moved my Dropbox folder to another operational drive and the issue is gone. Thank you so much for the quick support though!

Hannah

Happy to hear that you managed to resolve your issue, @sinbin!

If you need anything else in the future, don't hesitate to let us know.

Have a great week ahead!