Dropbox asks if I want to remove a document right after I save it

Hey @dimalique, thanks for reporting.

Sorry to hear you are having trouble. Can you post a screenshot of the error message you described please?

I will also need to know what version of Dropbox you have installed on the device giving you the error.

Thank you!

Hello! This is a screenshot of the message:

[IMAGE LINK IS BROKEN AND CANNOT BE DISPLAYED]

I am using Dropbox v88.4.172 on all my devices.

Thank you.

dimalique

I understand what is going on now! :slight_smile:

Thanks for posting this screenshot Dimalique.

So, this message is a security notification that informs you, that dragging a file out of the local Dropbox folder, will sync as a deletion of this file for all of your devices and the Dropbox cloud.

The file will still exist in the location that you will drop it. Outside of Dropbox. Did you try to move this file out of your local Dropbox folder?

Get back to me with any questions or concerns.

Hi! I just want to see if I have this right. When I open an Adobe file from my Dropbox folder on my local machine, make changes, and press save, Dropbox believes I'm dragging that file out of the local Dropbox folder and wants to delete it from all other folders? I'm not changing the folder in which I am saving the document. I'm simply saving the changes I have made to the file itself.

dimalique

Thanks for clarifying that. I thought you were moving the file out to edit it for some reason.:hear_no_evil:

This is an unexpected behavior that I really want to investigate and help with. Sending you an email right now. If you can record a screenscast for me, I would be grateful.

To create a screencast on Windows please follow the steps below:
1. Open “Problem Steps Recorder” by clicking the Start button and then typing psr.
2. Click Start Record and replicate the steps to show your problem
3. Once you’ve replicated the steps, click Stop Record
4. In the Save As dialog box, type a name for the file, and then click Save (the file is saved with the .zip file name extension)

Thank you for your patience. We'll get to the bottom of this.

OK. Will send this as soon as I can.

dimalique

Since 88.4.172 I get continuous file access problems. Is anyone else having the problem?

Detail, I have a build programs in a directory in my dropbox. Previously this has not been a problem.

But since 88.4.172 istalled yesterday, if I click Build before it has finished uploading last changes I get errors from the build system - "The process cannot access the file because it is being used by another process" and from Dropbox - "Remove [filename] from your Dropbox account and all devices? ...". The build one even happes after Dropbox has uploaed changes.

It's very disruptive & annoying, at this stage I have to run with dropbox paused.

Hello @dbhvp. Thanks for reporting.

Merge your topic here, because I believe you are reporting the same issue.

Let me know if the error message in this thread is the error message you are getting and if you specifically get this with a specific file type, or all your files.

You don't get the error if the Dropbox desktop application is not working. Correct?

Thank you!

Yes, looks like the same error.

dropbox error.png

the .ilk file mentioned is updated with each build.

At the same time the build system says

C:\Users\david\Dropbox\Current\SoDSI\ScanSort\RapidKRLB\MainWindow.cpp:-1: error: C1083: Cannot open compiler generated file: 'C:\Users\david\Dropbox\Current\SoDSI\ScanSort\RapidKRLB\debug\RapidKRLB.ilk: Permission denied

PS Several file types *.obj, *.ilk, *.pdb - all the ones (re)generated by the build system, but not all of them every time, just one or two.

Thank you for the screenshot @dbhvp.

What happens when you quit the Dropbox desktop application? Can you save the file successfully?

What is the version of your OS?

Let me know if you have already tried reinstalling the third party app you use to open these files, or the Dropbox desktop app.

Looking forward to your next comment to provide troubleshooting steps.

Thank you for your patience.

Saving is fine if I pause synching on dropbox.

I am using up to date Windows 10, the application I'm having troubles with is Qt Creator.

I haven't reinstalled anything, don't really want to if it can be avoided.

BPET

Hi Fiona,

I'm experiencing the same problem as dimalique. Started about a week ago.

Hello @BPET.

Thanks for adding your experience to this discussion. At your service! :slight_smile:

To help you the best way possible I will need the following.

Please let me know if you are getting this issue with a specific file type or with all filetypes?
The version of your Dropbox desktop application.
A screenshot of the error message you see.

Once I have this information, I can create a ticket for you, if this is OK with you.

Thank you!

I hope it's ok to join this thread. I'm hoping to provide additional information and not to hijack the thread.

I am encountering the exact same problem, except that it's with Microsoft Visual Studio rather than with Photoshop or Illustrator. I'm developing a C++ program for my own personal use (it's a hobby project). Sometimes but not always I get the same message as the original posted immediately after doing a Build. Doing a Build is C++ talk for doing a compile and link of my code. I assure you that I as a user am NOT doing doing a save nor am I moving a file into or out of a folder that's a sub-folder of a Dropbox folder nor am I deleting a file or renaming a file or anything even remotely like that. I just click the Build button on Visual Studio and wait a few seconds for it to complete. It's obvious that within its own internal operation, Visual Studio is reading and writing lots of files during a Build - perhaps dozens of them. And for all I know, it may be deleting and recreating and renaming files. I don't know. These are internal Visual Studio files that I don't interact with in any sort of direct way. I only interact with the actual C++source code that I'm developing. I would be happy to provide a screen shot, but there is really nothing so see other than the original warning/error message that was already posted by the original posted.

I am coping by Pausing Dropbox during a build. It's not a happy solution. But to tell you to truth, it's getting to the point that I may want to do that anyway, even if if this warning/error message had not occurred. During a Build, Visual Studio seems to update, change, delete, rename, recreate or whatever so many files and so many big files that Dropbox can't keep up. And sometimes the heavy Dropbox sync activity trying to keep up seems to lock a file that Visual Studio is using and cause the Build to fail. Pausing Dropbox and runningn the Build again will always solve the problem. It's like Dropbox is too agressive and needs to wait a couple of minutes after a file is changed before syncing. I'm sure Dropbox thinks its activity can't cause an application to crash because Dropbox is only reading. I can't explain the exact mechanism by which it happens, but I assure you that Dropbox activity does occasionally cause Visual Studio to crash. So far, I have never lost anything because pausing Dropbox and rerunning the Build sets things right. But it's not a comfortable situation.

Hello All. Here's an update: I've reinstalled Creative Cloud and all associated apps, then did a complete Dropbox removal and reinstall. I still receive the error message that Dropbox is going to delete all copies of the file from all folders, though now I only receive that message after the second and further saves (I am not transfering files from one folder to another, simply saving changes to the current file I am working on). I believe, for now, that turning off Dropbox, completing your work, then turning it back on to sync at the end is probably the best solution for now.

Your feedback is welcome everywhere in this Community @thejerrybryan.

Thank you for this detailed description. You are in the right topic since you are getting the same error.

What version of the Dropbox desktop application do you have installed?

If Dropbox is taking up too much bandwidth when it is syncing, I suggest to limit the bandwidth to work better and faster until we fix this. You can take the steps offered here, but set it to "limited".

Let me know how this goes and please get me a screenshot of the error you are getting. It will help others that might be getting the same error.

We will not let you pause and unpause forever. We will fix this together. :slight_smile:

Looking forward to your next comment to help you more.

I'm running Dropbox 88.4.172.

I guess I'm really describing two different problems. One problem is Visual Studio crashing if Dropbox is running during a Build. This is highly intermittent and highly unrepeatable. It's been going on for years, ever since I have been running Dropbox. Ican't remember how many years that has been. The second problem which has only started happening in the last few days are the messages about Dropbox wanting to remove a file from my disk. Unless the exact file name matters, then a screenshot doesn't really matter because the only information that would be in the screenshot would be the message. This second problem is also intermittent, but it happens much more often than the first. I'll try to post a screenshot the next time either one happens.

Здравко

Hi All,

On this thread, two completely independent problems seems to be discussed at once.

The initial issue (deleting message) is something related to the way some (typical - office or big IDEs or ... similar) programs behave. Key moment here is that, at saving, saved files aren't just updated, but initially new copy gets saved, original file gets removed and, finally, temporary copy gets renamed to the original name. That's done for stability - if something goes wrong, during save, (crash, for example) original file is still there, untouched, at least. Since the deletion, noted above, corresponding message pops up - of course (there is no way Dropbox to know what's going on and why the initial file gets removed, even that's "behind the scene" and not intended by user). That's it.

The second issue is related to the way Windows behaves by default - all open files get locked. That's why such issues happen only on Windows, but not on Linux, for example. Some programs are more sensitive and that's why such things happens. Probably Dropbox can do something here (if they want) to improve the application behaviour (especially in Windows - some workaround to Microsoft's bug, in fact).

Hope this adds some clarity, at least.

As workaround: For first issue - little bit more attention would be fine to prevent real deletion, not replacement with new file version. For both cases - set Dropbox on pause while using such sensitive programs will prevent the confusions (both - to the user and to the Dropbox program). Till the moment final solution comes up.

That may be the case Здравко but it is worth noting I (and I guess the others) have been using my IDE in exactly the same way for years without these problems until the change last week.

I'm guessing dropbox broke something with the 88.4.172 update.

Здравко

Hi @dbhvp,

Yes and No. Not exactly at least! :slight_smile: That always has been the same and nothing new here. The only new thing is precaution message Dropbox introduce. Excessive care, I think. That's it.

At the risk of further muddying the water, I probably should mention that I have another application besides Visual Studio that has a lot of trouble with Dropbox. I solve the problem by pausing Dropbox while using the app. Namely, the application is a genealogy program called RootsMagic which uses a relational database called SQLite as its database. SQLite is a free, powerful, and widely deployed relational database that is used as embedded software in lots of apps on lots of different kinds of devices, including PC's, Mac's, and lots of mobile devices.

Most (probably all) relational databases do not keep your data in memory while you are editing it and then do a File>Save of all your data at the end. Rather, each little change you make to your data is written to the database immediately. Dropbox sees this as an updated database and tries to sync it to the cloud immediately. Very trivial actions on my part such as just moving the cursor to a different person on my RootsMagic screen can trigger the Dropbox sync. Even with a large computer with a solid state hard disk and a fast Internet connection, there is no way that Dropbox can keep up.

Just because an SQLite database is open for update does NOT lock it from being read at the same time by other programs, including it does not prevent it from being read by Dropbox. That's why I wish there was an option for Dropbox to wait a minute or two (or five) after a file is changed before syncing it. Throttling the Internet speed does not solve this problem, and indeed it makes it worse.

Visual Studio is just as sensitive to Dropbox as RootsMagic if not more so. It records everything I do in its database of data about my program, essentially recording every keystroke I make to disk immediately. I don't know if the files where it records its data are conventional sequential files that do a Save or if they are more like RootsMagic's SQlite database. Some of the Visual Studio files have names that suggest they are more like databases. And I would emphasize again that none of these Visual Studio files that have problems with Dropbox are files that a user opens, closes, reads, writes, updates, etc. They are simply files that Visual Studio uses internally for its own use.

I am also getting this file access error, different from the delete one, where dropbox is holding the lock. (.cpp files are just plain text as can be seen)

Never seen this before 88.4.172.

[IMAGE LINK IS BROKEN AND CANNOT BE DISPLAYED]

BPET

Hi, it happens with Excel files. version 88.4.172.

[IMAGE LINK IS BROKEN AND CANNOT BE DISPLAYED]

ComposerCub

Hi, I'm having the same issue with this error messsage. I only get it while working within Finale and .musx files. Attached is the PSR log showing the message.

I have Dropbox 88.4.172 desktop application

Win 10 Home 1809

~Jamison Forge

Thank you all for reporting.

Please create a ticket with us here and get back to me in this thread with your ticket numbers. I will take over and work on your cases with our team.

Thanks!

Here is some new and additional information about this problem. I recenty upgraded from Visual Studio 2010 Professional to Visual Studio 2019 Community Edition. I had noticed that since this upgrade, Visual Studio is much more sensitive to interference from Dropbox than it used to be. I think I know why.

Starting with Visual Studio 2015 and continuing with the 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 versions, Visual Studio is using some SQlite databases behind the scenes. These databases are nothing that the Visual Studio user will see in the user interface. They are only work files. But the intererence on these files from Dropbox can cause Visual Studio to crash.

I had been pausing Dropbox most of the time anyway when I was using Visual Studio, but this feature of Visual Studio has made the pausing more important. Well, there is sort of a work around. Since these files are only work files that don't need to be synced or backed up at all, I moved them out of Dropbox. The Microsoft documentation on how to do so (or even on the need to do so) is woefully inadquate, but I finally managed to get it done. So I'm going to try leaving Dropbox enabled while I'm working in Visual Studio for a while just to see what happens.

Recall that my other app that has trouble with Dropbox is a genealogy app called RootsMagic which also uses SQLite. The difference is that the main genealogy database that a user opens and closes and works in with RootsMagic is not just a temporary work file. Rather, it's the main RM database. So pausing Dropbox while using RootsMagic is pretty essential and there is no workaround.

Hey @thejerrybryan, thank you sooo much for posting more details about Visual Studio and how you resolved this issue you were facing.

You are very helpful to other with this post.

See you around in the Community!

I am still having file write errors in 89.4.278