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Dropbox stopped working on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS; advanced re-install did not help

Hi,

I have been using DB for years; these days, I use it to sync files across 3 computers; all of them with a different version of Ubuntu Linux. On two of these computers, DB works great. However, one one computer at home (with initially Ubuntu 18.04 LTS), DB suddenly stopped working. Specifically, it would take forever to sync the 2-3 small txt files that needed to be synced.

I tried different things to solve the issue, but it made things worse:

* stop and restart dropbox (using the CLI tool)

* re-install DB, using both methods described here (deb file and CLI):

https://www.dropbox.com/install-linux

* doing an advanced (Linux) re-install, as explained here:

https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/advanced-reinstall?fallback=true

* tried to install an older version, as suggested somewhere (sorry, can't find the corresponding ticket any more)

* moved the Dropbox folder to a different location (so to as re-install my files from scratch), and "unlink" the computer (on the web-site: parameters > security > devices) so as to link it again later.

* updated the OS of the computer to Ubuntu to 19.04.

Nothing worked. Whenever I re-install, I do *not* get the pop-up which asks to which account I should link this computer; nothing in the terminal either when running from the terminal. When I click on the DB icon (on query the CLI tool), it simply says "connecting". When I select preferences > Account, it says it is not connected to any account. (But again, it does not let me select an account!) Current version is v82. If I try to install an older version, it automatically updates to this (apparently non-working) version.

To make things worse, I tried to log in the DB web site from the same computer with my browser, it did not work either! I enter my login, my password, but then it just stalls. This is using Firefox, but I tried with Chrome and Chromium as well, to no avail. Apperently a CAPTCHA should show up, but it does not, whatever the browser. I also tried in private mode.

Wit's end... Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Nicolas

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Accepted answers

Здравко

Hi @twometers,

If you can't open Dropbox's site then the application can't be able to link any account and the problem isn't in Dropbox application, definitely, neither Ubuntu (not as a system, but can be some settings). Can you access some other (non company, external) site? You have to solve the network problem initially (wherever it is).

Hope this gives some direction.

All comments

yuvi

ok. well, thank for you help in any case...

easternseaboard

I am having this same problem on numerous of my Ubuntu 18.04 LTS's. Dropbox is stuck in "upgrading dropbox" status and it never completes the "upgrade" even after a reboot. Will not sync. Has support figured anything out about this yet?

easternseaboard

I just found this recommendation on another thread and it fixed my problem. Its the one from stevenpoint.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Installs-integrations/quot-Upgrading-Dropbox-quot-never-ends-Again/m-p/379468/highlight/true#M83149

corktowner

I have been Dropbox for years on Ubuntu however I cannot get the client to run on my system anymore. I have attached the terminal output when attempting to start Dropbox.

corktowner

apt-get install libatomic1

Worked for Ubuntu 18.04.

Здравко

@corktowner wrote:
... I have attached the terminal output when attempting to start Dropbox.

??? Where? :thinking:

@corktowner wrote:
apt-get install libatomic1
Worked for Ubuntu 18.04.

And... What exactly is the problem? :nerd:

... Ok. Great, i.e. you don't have any problems.

easternseaboard

I can only speak to my situation, and I can only characterize it in non-technical and possibly incorrect nomenclature, but hopefully you will get the point.

I have always had all possible automatic updates disabled in Ubuntu 18. Apparently Dropbox does not respect the "no updating" policies I have set in the Ubuntu OS, and Dropbox tried updating itself recently. As it did so, it tried pulling thrings from repositories that it could not reach since I had disabled updating at the OS level. This caused dropbox to "break". It sat with the spinning arrows and says "upgrading" for days on end. Sometimes it would sync files and othertimes not.

However, the fix for me was to 1) reenable updates at the OS level, then 2) launch a terminal window and type "sudo apt-get install libatomic1" without quotes. Kick it through the prompts and then reboot. After rebooting, dropbox succeeded in updating itself and began syncing properly again. Prior to this fix my dropbox version was 70.4.93 and afterward it was 85.4.155.

Here are the update settings that I re-enabled before running the terminal commands. Apparently in order to pull the libatomic1 files, these update settings must be turned on. After dropbox fixed itself, I turned all of these update settings back off.

Screenshot - 12_5_2019 , 2_06_11 PM.png

andrecavalcante

This worked for me! I am using Ubuntu. Dropbox was quitting few instants after initialization. Reinstall did not work.