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Backup feature is so broken that I cannot get my data.

Jjw1988

I have backed up an external drive containing a folder of about 200GB in size, with many files inside it and an important, layered folder structure. Your backup feature is so broken that I cannot do anything with that backup, and now that the drive I had backed up with it has become corrupted, I am left in an impossible position. I cannot download the backup (too many files in zip?!), I cannot move it to the sync space, I cannot access it except file by file through your **bleep**ty web interface. Your software has been worse than useless - this is important data and if I knew your backup would not actually be ACCESSIBLE TO ME I would have used something else. The outcome is worse, I repeat, than if I had not used your software at all. What is worse is I gather from your support staff that the features that would have enabled me to solve this have actually been REMOVED, HAVING PREVIOUSLY EXISTED.

Your support staff do not understand the seriousness of this breach of design. I need that data, which is mine, now and you are withholding it from me. I am currently informing the UK regulatory body about this. What I need is not some lame feature request putting in, but immediately that your tech team get that data and let me download it in full. It is possible if you escalate this issue enough for that to happen.

Dropbox users should be quitting over this kind of broken design, I will be and I’ll be telling every professional in my field about how bad my experience has been.

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Megan

Hi @Jjw1988, sorry to hear about this!

You mentioned that you can't do anything with said Backup. Can you clarify what exactly it is that you're trying to do?

In what ways has it become corrupt, and how do you wish to move the sync space exactly? Is the feature currently enabled, or disabled when you visit your Backup page online?

Feel free to let me know more, in order for me to be able to assist, and give you the appropriate next steps.

Also, you mentioned that you've contacted our Support about this, so please, share your ticket number reference with me, in order for me to locate it on our system.

Keep me posted!

Jjw1988

The external hard disk is corrupted, so I want to use my Dropbox backup of it, made via your backup feature, to restore to the disk. I cannot do this because the backup cannot be moved into the syncable space of Dropbox (to sync back down through the app) and neither can it be downloaded through the web interface, becuase it has over 10,000 files within it. I am stunned you feel able to actually describe this as a backup.

Megan

Hi @Jjw1988, can you let me know of the ticket number you have with our Support?

Have you tried downloading the content into smaller batches and not all of them at once?

Jjw1988

No because the folder structure is complex, there are a lot of files, and I need the structure preserving exactly. it is completely unfeasible to do what you suggest and it is a sign of how broken the software is that you are recommending that. I want the folder in question immediately moving into my syncable dropbox space so that at least I can try and download it using a third party client.

Walter

Hey @Jjw1988, sorry to jump in here and thanks for sharing your thoughts on this with us.

I just wanted to mention that I've found your ticket in our system and passed your comments on. An expert from the team should be getting back to you soon, but please let us know if you have anything else to add.

Jjw1988

I've had one reply but not a further one yet from the advanced support team.

There are multiple issues here, which I have passed on to support. It's a real shame to have as historically full-featured and well-designed a program as Dropbox become so broken in this way.

1) It is supposed to be possible to, using the web interface, move the backup into the regular sync space, which would allow me to download it. This option is not available to me for some reason.

2) Primarily, it must, must be possible to use the desktop application to recover a backup by downloading it to the same or a new drive. This is the primary use case for a backup! Create it, maintain it, and then when your drive breaks or is lost, download it efficiently in one piece. It is not clear to me if this functionality is meant to be available, but I have got a lot of bull**bleep** so far about 'yeah, backup is designed to be one way'. What an insane sentence to write.

3) The support system, for something which I pay a lot of money for and use as a professional product in my work, is terrible. Yes you can chat to people but they are far too slow to suggest nonsense like 'download the files in small batches' or 'we will pass your suggestion to our developers'. Because of this impossibly broken feature, my data was held to ransom, and it was literally impossible for me to get to it in a useful (ie complete, able to be restored to a new or the same external drive) way.

Sad to see the various comments about Dropbox going downhill are true.

Hannah

We appreciate you sharing your experience with us, @Jjw1988.

Your comments have been passed along and if you need anything else, don't hesitate to let us know.