I am having a persistent problem with Dropbox Desktop on Windows 11. Dropbox installs and authenticates successfully, but the tray application remains indefinitely at “Starting…” and never begins syncing. I have already performed extensive troubleshooting, including a genuinely clean installation of the current 64-bit Dropbox Desktop 274.4.4841 offline installer. Before the latest reinstall, Dropbox was uninstalled and Windows restarted. Remaining Dropbox folders/configuration under Program Files, Local AppData and ProgramData were removed, as was the remaining HKCU\Software\Dropbox configuration. The old Dropbox dbx/DbxSvc service registrations and Dropbox SyncRoot registration were confirmed absent before reinstalling. The fresh installation completes normally and authenticates successfully. After installation: * Dropbox correctly registers C:\Users\jmari\Dropbox with Windows SyncRootManager. * The Dropbox folder has the Microsoft Cloud Files reparse tag 0x9000b01a. * Windows CldFlt is running and attached to C:. * Dropbox processes remain running and Windows reports them as responsive. * Dropbox establishes outbound HTTPS connections successfully. * The problem persists with my VPN completely disabled. * Dropbox creates a fresh instance1\sync\nucleus.sqlite3 database and WAL file. The WAL reaches 86,552 bytes, then stops changing while Dropbox remains at “Starting.” * I previously reset/rebuilt the Nucleus sync database, with no improvement. * Windows Application and Code Integrity logs show no corresponding errors when Nucleus stops progressing. The most significant error I have found is from DbxSvc 1.0.26.0. Windows Application Event ID 320 repeatedly reports: Failed to connect to the driver: (-2147024894) The system cannot find the file specified. , retrying... At the same time, DbxSvc successfully verifies Dropbox.exe and accepts its connection (Events 283, 284 and 294). During earlier troubleshooting, the Dropbox mini-filter driver registration was particularly suspicious. A dbx service registration existed but dbx.sys did not, and attempting to start it returned Windows error 2 (“The system cannot find the file specified”). The current signed Dropbox driver package contains dbx-stable.sys, dbx-dev.sys, and dbx-canary.sys. After the completely clean reinstall, Dropbox again remains at “Starting.” I have already tried multiple clean reinstalls, removing/rebuilding the local sync database, restarting Windows, disabling the VPN, checking network connectivity, verifying Cloud Files (CldFlt), and checking Windows event logs. I would therefore prefer not to repeat the standard uninstall/reinstall procedure unless there is a materially different procedure Dropbox recommends. Can someone from Dropbox advise whether Event 320 from DbxSvc indicates that the Dropbox mini-filter driver is failing to initialize, and whether there is a Dropbox diagnostic/log collection procedure I can run for this condition? I still have the current failed installation intact and can provide additional Dropbox logs or PowerShell diagnostic output if needed.

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Dropbox Desktop 274.4.4841 stuck indefinitely at “Starting” on Windows 11 even after clean reinstall

jackdent22

I am having a persistent problem with Dropbox Desktop on Windows 11. Dropbox installs and authenticates successfully, but the tray application remains indefinitely at “Starting…” and never begins syncing.

I have already performed extensive troubleshooting, including a genuinely clean installation of the current 64-bit Dropbox Desktop 274.4.4841 offline installer.

Before the latest reinstall, Dropbox was uninstalled and Windows restarted. Remaining Dropbox folders/configuration under Program Files, Local AppData and ProgramData were removed, as was the remaining HKCU\Software\Dropbox configuration. The old Dropbox dbx/DbxSvc service registrations and Dropbox SyncRoot registration were confirmed absent before reinstalling.

The fresh installation completes normally and authenticates successfully. After installation:

Dropbox correctly registers C:\Users\jmari\Dropbox with Windows SyncRootManager.
The Dropbox folder has the Microsoft Cloud Files reparse tag 0x9000b01a.
Windows CldFlt is running and attached to C:.
Dropbox processes remain running and Windows reports them as responsive.
Dropbox establishes outbound HTTPS connections successfully.
The problem persists with my VPN completely disabled.
Dropbox creates a fresh instance1\sync\nucleus.sqlite3 database and WAL file. The WAL reaches 86,552 bytes, then stops changing while Dropbox remains at “Starting.”
I previously reset/rebuilt the Nucleus sync database, with no improvement.
Windows Application and Code Integrity logs show no corresponding errors when Nucleus stops progressing.

The most significant error I have found is from DbxSvc 1.0.26.0. Windows Application Event ID 320 repeatedly reports:

Failed to connect to the driver: (-2147024894) The system cannot find the file specified. , retrying...

At the same time, DbxSvc successfully verifies Dropbox.exe and accepts its connection (Events 283, 284 and 294).

During earlier troubleshooting, the Dropbox mini-filter driver registration was particularly suspicious. A dbx service registration existed but dbx.sys did not, and attempting to start it returned Windows error 2 (“The system cannot find the file specified”). The current signed Dropbox driver package contains dbx-stable.sys, dbx-dev.sys, and dbx-canary.sys. After the completely clean reinstall, Dropbox again remains at “Starting.”

I have already tried multiple clean reinstalls, removing/rebuilding the local sync database, restarting Windows, disabling the VPN, checking network connectivity, verifying Cloud Files (CldFlt), and checking Windows event logs. I would therefore prefer not to repeat the standard uninstall/reinstall procedure unless there is a materially different procedure Dropbox recommends.

Can someone from Dropbox advise whether Event 320 from DbxSvc indicates that the Dropbox mini-filter driver is failing to initialize, and whether there is a Dropbox diagnostic/log collection procedure I can run for this condition?

I still have the current failed installation intact and can provide additional Dropbox logs or PowerShell diagnostic output if needed.

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Accepted answers

Walter

Hey @jackdent22 - thanks for bringing this to our attention and I appreciate all the details you've shared with us as well.

As a first step, can you try the latest version of the app directly from this page and let me know how it goes?

If the issue persists, you could try creating a new OS profile on your computer and installing the app there.

In any case, please keep us posted.

All comments

Walter

Hey @jackdent22 - thanks for bringing this to our attention and I appreciate all the details you've shared with us as well.

As a first step, can you try the latest version of the app directly from this page and let me know how it goes?

If the issue persists, you could try creating a new OS profile on your computer and installing the app there.

In any case, please keep us posted.

jackdent22

I tested build 275.4.3565 as requested. Installing it over 274.4.4841 in my normal Windows profile did not resolve the problem. In that profile, Dropbox.exe remained running with /firstrun 1, but the tray interface did not appear and the normal Dropbox child processes did not start.

I then created a completely new local Windows profile named DropboxTest. Using the same installed Dropbox 275.4.3565 and the same Dropbox account, Dropbox signed in normally, started immediately, and successfully synced.

This appears to isolate the problem to something in my original Windows user profile rather than the Dropbox installation, Windows itself, the network, or my Dropbox account.

I would prefer to repair the Dropbox configuration in my existing Windows profile rather than migrate to a new Windows profile. Can you advise which per-user Dropbox files, registry entries, credentials, or other profile-specific state should be reset to accomplish this?

Walter

Are you running any 3rd party apps or services that might be causing issues on your original OS profile @jackdent22?

This would include security and antivirus programs, syncing and backup apps that could be monitoring your files etc.

If you do, you can temporarily disable them or close them to see if there's any improvement.