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Files not syncing from my Surface

I saved my most recent version of a manuscript on Monday, May 5th before going out of town. It is now May 8th, and the files are not showing up in my Dropbox account. The most recent version I'm seeing is May 2nd, and I know I've saved later versions.

I save the originals to Dropbox via my PC; I'm trying to get them from my Surface, but they're not there.

Thanks,

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@MountainGram wrote:
I save the originals to Dropbox via my PC; I'm trying to get them from my Surface, but they're not there.

Did they sync from your PC to Dropbox? Can you see them if you sign in to your account on Dropbox.com? Does the recent activity for the files appear on your Events page?

If not, the files likely didn't sync (or finish syncing) up to Dropbox. Make sure the Dropbox application on your computer is running and visible in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac).

I cannot find them either on my device or on dropbox.com. Two full days seems an awfully long time for a simple word document not to sync.

The last files I see on my surface and on dropbox.com are from May 2nd.

The dropbox icon on my system tray shows two files that I opened today as still syncing, but not the ones from May 5th.

HI @MountainGram, does the file appear in the Dropbox folder on your laptop? Does it have a sync icon on it?

A screenshot showing this would help us greatly!

Kind of hard to take a screenshot of something that's not there. The files in question aren't showing up aonywhere.

Could you get a screenshot of the files that are appearing on the computer then, since that's where they're not syncing from?

I don't know what you want a screenshot of. Sorry.

"I save the originals to Dropbox via my PC; I'm trying to get them from my Surface, but they're not there."

Where are those files, are they simply missing entirely from all your devices and the Dropbox site?

I am out of town; I can't access my PC. Most of my work is done on the PC but saved via Dropbox, and the files are supposed to show up on my Surface, and they usually do. This time, they did not. I can't show you the ones on the PC because it's in Colorado and I'm in Maryland.

When you get a chance to send us a screenshot, please let us know, as there should be something affecting the syncing of those files. Either Dropbox desktop application isn't running, or it's paused, or the files aren't located in the Dropbox folder for them to sync.

Keep us posted when you have an update.

Thanks - I'll be home this weekend.

I am home now and can check my PC. The last file synced was May 2nd, yet I have saved files on my PC from May 3, 4, and 5. I have screenshots, but am not sure how your system lets me upload or attach them. It's asking for links, not uploads.

@MountainGram wrote:
The last file synced was May 2nd, yet I have saved files on my PC from May 3, 4, and 5.

Is the Dropbox application running? If so, what does it show for its status when you hover your cursor over the icon in the system tray?

It must be running because I saved another document and it's in my Word files. I don't have a dropbox icon in my system tray.

@MountainGram wrote:
I don't have a dropbox icon in my system tray.

Then Dropbox isn't running, and if it's not running it can't sync your files. That would explain why you're not seeing anything recent on Dropbox.com or your other devices.

Launch Dropbox from your Start menu and see if the icon appears in your system tray.

Yes, I see it in the system tray, but nothing happens if I click it. It spins for a minute, then stops and doesn't open.

@MountainGram, if you right click on the Dropbox icon instead, do you see an option to open Dropbox in your system tray? Please click on it and let me know if you see the app's syncing status now.

If not, is there another option to quit/exit the Dropbox app? If yes, please do so and relaunch it from your Start menu > Programs.

Let me know if that helps.

I uninstalled Dropbox and reinstalled it. I'll see if that fixes the lack of syncing.

Everything seemed to be working but when I checked when I left town, I saw that my files hadn't synced in three days. I don't like having to check on my Surface, which I use for travel all the time.

But here I am again on June 6th and the last saved version of my document is June 1st. The whole idea of dropbox for me is to have the most recently saved version (from my PC usually) so I can work on it from my Surface when I travel.

Everything says my files are up to date, but they obviously are not.

Were you able to confirm that the Dropbox desktop application was running normally after clicking the icon in the system tray near the clock?

The dropbox icon does not show in the system tray at all. It's on my desktop, and I don't have the option to show it in the taskbar like with other apps. If I go to Dropbox.com, it says I'm up to date, but I'm not.

If the icon is not in the system tray, then it means that it isn't running, meaning there is no syncing occurring.

Could you attach a screenshot showing what you're seeing on the site that says you're up to date?

Sorry, but as I recall, that was on my PC, and I can't find anything via my Surface that will display the dropbox icon on my system tray, only on my desktop. I'm out of town (which was why I wanted to access the latest version on the file) so I don't have a lot of time to troubleshoot now. I'll be back home on Tuesday when I can work with both devices. The last time, I uninstalled Dropbox on the PC and reinstalled it, which I thought solved the problem, but it apparently worked for only a couple of days before disappearing again.

Thanks for keeping us in the loop on this and please let us know of any updates when you get the chance @MountainGram

OK -- Back in town, and still working on the sync thing. I uninstalled and reinstalled Dropbox on both my PC and Surface. Things seemed to be working for a couple of days, but then the syncing stopped. I can't get Dropbox onto either my task bar anymore; it's not an option when I go to Dropbox on my Start/Desktop. If I open Dropbox from then, THEN it shows up on the system tray and shows me if it's syncing.

How long should it take before something I save on my PC shows up on my Surface? Minutes? Hours? Days?

The whole syncing thing is one of the major reasons I'm using Dropbox.

Hey @MountainGram, can you check the "general" tab in your Dropbox preferences on both devices, to make sure the option to start Dropbox on system startup is checked?

Yes to both

Thanks for checking, @MountainGram.

So, basically, after you uninstall and reinstall the Dropbox app on both devices, things seem to work fine for a while, files syncing, etc., but then the Dropbox icon disappears again and syncing stops, right?

If that's the case, I would suggest a more advanced reinstall of the application, to see if that resolves the issue once and for all.

Let us know how that works out.

This looks very scary/complicated. I'll see if I can have someone more computer savvy around to help before I attempt this on my own.

Make sure your Dropbox account is syncing properly and that both your PC and Surface are connected to the internet. Files might not update right away if there are connection problems or if you need to refresh the Dropbox app.

And now Dropbox hasn't synced since June 21st. I have files I can access on my PC, but they're not showing up at Dropbox.com

The advanced reset you sent is far too complicated for a non-tech person like me. Shouldn't there be a simpler solution?

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