How can I prevent dropbox from automatically updating itself? The new dropbox 3 has a very anti-windows-7 UI that I don't like, so I reinstalled 2.10. How do I stop dropbox from continually installing v3?
@Sanchez wrote:Hey there, Thanks for posting your comments about the auto-update feature of our app. We are very interested in your feedback about our product, and I’ll make sure to pass it on to our developers. Cheers
I absolutely hate it when someone thinks they know what is best for my computer. An autoupdate that can't be turned off is really no different than a piece of malware. Having been using and working on computers for over 45 years I don't take kindly to things like this. As I mentioned I could have simply created a firewall rule to not allow it to communicate out but I shouldn't have to. But equally troubling is leaving a launch agent on the system, if you uninstall like most Mac users do, and that is inexcuseable.
Anyway, I felt that booting the app was the best interim solution as I can do what I need to do without the app. And thanks for your comment. developers need to know what people think.
I will leave dropbox. I DO NOT WANT AUTO UPDATES I CANNOT TURN OF!
@James B.2 wrote: The interface (indeed, very much inferior) is the least of the problems caused by this forced downgrade. There MUST be a way to defeat updating. May be worth experimenting with permissions in the Dropbox executable folder or discovering how it connects to download the new software. Maybe possible to block it on the firewall. Anyone any ideas?
The interface (indeed, very much inferior) is the least of the problems caused by this forced downgrade. There MUST be a way to defeat updating. May be worth experimenting with permissions in the Dropbox executable folder or discovering how it connects to download the new software. Maybe possible to block it on the firewall. Anyone any ideas?
If you use a firewall other than the default one with the OS you can create a rule to block autoupdate from connecting out. But you shouldn't have to do that. Hopefully they will add an option to disable it. I removed the app from my system as I really don't need sysncing anway so I can still upload files and share the link.
I use my computer to record and edit audio and recordings.
I cannot tolerate Dropbox auto update to disturb a recording.
It is too stupid for words that I am not able to switch of this every hour auto update checking.
So if this is what the Dropbow developpers want, I will gladly uninstall Dropbox.
One drive, Google drive here I come.
Hi! I was curious about that situation and find some kinda-low level solution to our problem. Generally speaking, we can disable it. Here is how to do it:
1. open Terminal app
2. type command "launchctl list |grep dropbox" (w/o quotes) it will show annoying agent which name is "com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent"
3. then remove it from your system by typing "launchctl remove com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent"(if it's does not work you may need some permission to do operation, then type "sudo " prefix before "launchctl remove" command)
4. check that the agent is switched off by typing again command "launchctl list |grep dropbox" and it must showing no more abuse agent in you system.
Hope it's help. Cheers!
@oliostro wrote: Hi! I was curious about that situation and find some kinda-low level solution to our problem. Generally speaking, we can disable it. Here is how to do it: 1. open Terminal app 2. type command "launchctl list |grep dropbox" (w/o quotes) it will show annoying agent which name is "com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent" 3. then remove it from your system by typing "launchctl remove com.dropbox.DropboxMacUpdate.agent"(if it's does not work you may need some permission to do operation, then type "sudo " prefix before "launchctl remove" command) 4. check that the agent is switched off by typing again command "launchctl list |grep dropbox" and it must showing no more abuse agent in you system. Hope it's help. Cheers!
Yeah, I already removed that after I uninstalled dropbox. If you uninstall the way Apple sugests that little file gets left behind. For now I untend to leave the app off my system until this problem is fixed. I can upload files and get the link to share files without using the dropbox application and I don't need syncing so that works best for my situation. The real problem is that this should have never happened in the first place. I expect that kind of actions from MS but not from the Mac world. Anyway, thanks for the info as I am sure others may be able to use it.
I am a System Administator.
Almost all my users use Dropbox. I have no control over this.
The automatic update process has broken Dropbox for my users twice in the last few months.
When it breaks like this my users come to me to fix it.
I have tried downgrading to an older (working) version but Dropbox auto-updates back to the most recent (broken) version in short order and becomes inoperable.
Dropbox became unusable again yesterday with version 24.4.16.
What gives, Dropbox?
For Windows OS, I have done two things to prevent the automatic update and it seems to work for now, as of 2017-04-28.
For Mac OS, I am assuming that similar procedure may be possible.
1. Go to "Computer Management" inside Start Menu>Programs>Administrative Tools; Go to Services and Applications>Services; Find "Dropbox Update", right click, go to Properties, and select Disable Service.
This will disable dropbox update from running upon boot. However, this alone does not prevent the updater from running when Dropbox runs. To prevent updater from running when Dropbox runs, do the following.
2. Go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Update" from "File Explorer". Change the name of "DropboxUpdate.exe"--I changed mine to "DropboxUpdate.exec".
After #2 was done, I find that "DropboxUpdate" no longer shows up in "Task Manager" even when Dropbox application is running and I no longer gets a pop-up message to allow administrative permission to the updater. At the same time, my Dropbox is running normally.
Yeah, you can disable the auto update through a similar process on OS X but I suspect Windows, similar to OS X minus the registry part, will leave traces in the registry. I could have blocked it with my Firewall as well but I shouldn't have to. I chose to uninstall the app entirely as I do not need the sysnc feature in the app. I have a program that allows me to upload without the app and capture a share link if I need that. Personally I don't like apps that phone home without asking me if I am ok with it and giving me a chance to turn it off.
@id019019824984 wrote: For Windows OS, I have done two things to prevent the automatic update and it seems to work for now, as of 2017-04-28. For Mac OS, I am assuming that similar procedure may be possible. 1. Go to "Computer Management" inside Start Menu>Programs>Administrative Tools; Go to Services and Applications>Services; Find "Dropbox Update", right click, go to Properties, and select Disable Service.
I use Little Snitch to stop the update accessing the net. Little Snitch isn't without its problems, but anything's better than Dropbox downloading updates every time it sees that I've got poor web access on a hotel hotspot and need to urgently download a couple of mails.
@Lee P.6 wrote: I use Little Snitch to stop the update accessing the net. Little Snitch isn't without its problems, but anything's better than Dropbox downloading updates every time it sees that I've got poor web access on a hotel hotspot and need to urgently download a couple of mails.
I've been using that since version 1. :-) The thing most people don't like about it is that you have to be proactive. LS is how I caught on to the auto update in the first place. I set it to approve connections until I quit and then it will ask me again next time. When I fired up Dropbox I caught the auto update request and looked into it. As I mentioned I could have blocked it through my firewall but I shouldn't have to do it that way. Until they give me a way to turn off auto update the program will not be reinstalled.
I used this solution on the Mac, which is also what I did to stop Google's apps (way back when those had to be installed on your computer) from constantly trying to call for updates:
Locate the updater app, DropboxMacUpdate.app
LittleSnitch provides the pathname: /Users/[your username]/Library/Dropbox
Compress/zip the original app, or delete if you prefer
add a blank text or image file, and rename it to "DropboxMacUpdate.app"
CMD-i for GetInfo window on that blank file
Make it a locked file, so it can't be overwritten
Ta-da, it's impossible for the Updater to even run. Leaving the locked file means future installs can't overwrite the file and resume running, and gives whatever process in the Dropbox app that calls for it something to look for.
However, you'll have to remember to manually look for and download future updates. According to other posts from employees, that's about every two weeks; at this time, the most recent update I know of is v25.4.28 released on May 1, 2017.
Thanks for the info. My only concern really is that in my opinion it is bad practice to code something like this without making it clear in the first place. If they are doing that what else are they putting in there and not telling me. All I get out of the application is a little convenience so I can do everything I need with other applications. The object of a program should be to make things easier for the customer, not to make things easier for the company. :-)
my "fix" above isn't perfect - somehow on my MacBook, the locked file unlocked itself and got replaced with the updater app, which atempted to call home 587 times in under a minute before I could make it stop.
Dear Dropbox, I consider this an unwarranted intrusion.
Thanks for that info. It just reinforces my decision to completely uninstall the application until such time as they actually fix the problem. It still amazes me that they don't think they have a problem. I encourage anyone who does not actually need the desktop app to do the same thing. There are other programs out there that will let you upload files to dropbox, get a shared link to send and do it without the invasive intrusion the Dropbox app has become.
I wasn't even aware Dropbox automatically (and uncontrollably) updated itself until today when I looked at my installed programs and saw that Windows thought Dropbox was installed yesterday - obviously an auto update.
Giving anyone unfettered remote admin access to my computer is unacceptable. Even if Dropbox has the purest of intentions, my computer is still a hostage to any error they make or any lapse in their security. I don't know what their security is like, but however good it is, it's not good enough to trust my security to. It is only a matter of time before an employee folds under external influence, or even before someone walks into a place like Dropbox with a mask a USB stick and a gun and says "push this update out or I shoot people". With the amount of money at stake with ransomeware, does anyone think Dropbox is any more immune to violent criminal action than a bank is? Once criminals wise up to the opportunity that real-time forced automatic updates affords, this is only a matter of time.
I already have to go through a significant amount of pain with Windows 10 to prevent it from automatically updating itself, I don't need to try and manage that in Dropbox too. The propensity for vendors to adopt uncontrollable automatic updates is getting out of hand. I must use Windows 10, unfortunately, but I don't have to use Dropbox. Dropbox has therefore been summarily uninstalled in favour of a complete migration to Syncthing. I control Syncthing end-to-end. I obviously control nothing of Dropbox.
As has been mentioned earlier it isn't hard to prevent Dropbox from auto updating with a firewall but that isn't the point for me. I shouldn't have to do that. I will leave the program off my system untul they allow me to cahnge that in the settings. I have other program options to use it and don't need their program. If you really need their program you should also be able to keep it from phoning home if you use a good firewall.
Kurt F.3 wrote: I already have to go through a significant amount of pain with Windows 10 to prevent it from automatically updating itself
I already have to go through a significant amount of pain with Windows 10 to prevent it from automatically updating itself
Disable one service and it prevents Windows 10 updates, allowing you to download and install them on your own schedule. It will prompt you regularly when there are updates, but it won't install them until you tell it to.
@Rich wrote: Disable one service and it prevents Windows 10 updates, allowing you to download and install them on your own schedule. It will prompt you regularly when there are updates, but it won't install them until you tell it to.
Thanks for the hint. I require more control than being able to select when Windows performs updates, though. I require to be able to select which updates I want.
My solution was to disable the service as you mention, to prevent Windows from automatically performing updates. When I do want to check and install updates, I use Windows Update Minitool (WUMT) to do it. If you google it you will find the program - it's written by a Russian and the offical site is unfortunately not in english. There is a more or less official english language thread for it here. When you run it, if the Windows Update service is disabled then WUMT will automatically start it. It then takes control of the service and will only allow it to do what the program tells it to do. This works fairly well, but unfortunately WUMT doesn't automatically shut down and re-disable the servivce again when it terminates. If you do it manually you have to be fairly quick about it, or else Windows will start using the service to do its own stuff after the program shuts down. You also can't trust the Windows service manager to accurately tell you that the service is shut down. I've shut it down manually and disabled it and had it show as both shut down and disabled, but where the process is actually still running. I wrote a script that runs WUMT and then automatically terminates and re-disables the service when WUMT finishes. Even so, after an update session I will reboot the computer to to make sure Windows Update is well and truly dead.
That's what I meant when I said I already have to go through pain to keep control of Windows Update. I have to go through that pain. I don't have to go through the pain for Dropbox, and I refuse to.
If anyone from Dropbox is following this thread, don't laugh off the criminal threat. Ramsomeware is BIG business, and a company that has unfettered admin access to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of computers is a big target.
I still provide Windows support to a few people but I stopped using it a long time ago because it was just too much of a hassle. I don't mind fixing other peoples Windows problems but I expect my system to work. :-) But I want to reiterate my comment about a good firewall. I keep track of where my system is connecting to as much as possible. Most of my applications require approval every time I run them. Which is why I caught Adobe Flash trying to auto update without my approval. It couldn't do it because I was not there to approve the connection. The firewall is a good tool only if you are willing to take the time to be proactive about security. I initially blocked dropbox that way but since I shouldn't have to do that I just uninstalled the program and use other tools to move files in and out.
Anyway, I don't like auto updates and I don't like applications phoning home without my knowledge.
This will cause me to move away from Dropbox. I had no idea that it auto-updated. My bad.
I agree, my glacially-slow internet connection requires I schedule my own updates. Can't you simply have the app let me know when an update is available instead of just downloading it? As it currently acts, it interrupts other functions and interrupts my workflow...
There's no edit option in that menu:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/a1g93snxbj23fwp/Screenshot%202017-09-27%2015.59.57.png?dl=0 (dropbox link)
Ah, but if it's a new post, like this one, there IS an edit option!
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ozv3hbbfdq7a25t/Screenshot%202017-09-27%2016.05.52.png?dl=0 (dropbox link)
Thanks!
(unfortunately copy/pasted images don't appear to show up here…)
What I have found is, the dropbox update is a scheduled task.
go to control panel/administrative tools
select: task scheduler
select : Task Scheduler Library
there should be a couple of drop box items in there to include drop box update. you can disable them.
or
you can select the item(s) and change the trigger and\or the run schedule - look thru all the tabs for whatever.
You do whatever you do at you own risk.
When in doubt, don't or ask.
Go slow.
Good Luck.
Just an FYI... I uninstalled drop box.
