Start 2025 on time and up to date! Seamlessly integrate your calendars into Dropbox with these simple steps! 📆

Forum Discussion

awtravis77's avatar
awtravis77
New member | Level 1
3 months ago

Our old computer crashed and the one we're using now is trying to sync old files.

Our computer at work crashed unexpectedly. My Dropbox account which I use for work has 2 shared folders. We are now up and running on a back up computer that I had used Dropbox on previously (4 years ago) I am now having trouble with them syncing. It is telling me that I am out of storage because it is trying to sync items between our folders that have been moved and deleted over the past 4 years. 

It shows I'm still logged into DB on that old computer, but we can't access it to log out. Should I uninstall on this computer and try reinstalling, or do I delete access to the old computer although that is where the most up to date items are and then uninstall and reinstall and hope that it will all sync? 

I'm at a loss and don't' want to lose all this work. 

  • Nancy's avatar
    Nancy
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Thanks for posting on the Community, awtravis77.

    Can you clarify if, when your other device crashed, it had synced everything online to your Dropbox account at that point? Can you see all of your latest updates on www.dropbox.com? 

    Let me know and we’ll go from here.

  • awtravis77's avatar
    awtravis77
    New member | Level 1

    Not really. It does show the newest stuff that was saved but it also shows files that we had moved out of DB or deleted over the past 4 years. 

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hey awtravis77, if the most recent versions of your files appear in your account on dropbox.com, we're on the right path.

      What you could do, is disconnect the backup computer from your account settings here.

      This will log you out of the Dropbox desktop app on that computer, which makes it safe for you to delete the old Dropbox folder there.

      You can then update the Dropbox app and sign in to your account again.

      Keep in mind, though, that this will sync whatever files you have in your account on dropbox.com.

  • awtravis77's avatar
    awtravis77
    New member | Level 1

    So disconnect the DB on the computer that crashed? I see where I can do that from dropbox.com but we can't actually do anything on that physical computer.

    Then log out of the app on the computer I'm on now? Then update and sign back in? 

    • Nancy's avatar
      Nancy
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Instead of signing out of the Dropbox app on that device, which is no longer possible, you’ll be doing this via the page Hannah linked above. You can even delete the local Dropbox folder that was created on that device this way (so, you don't need the physical computer to take any actions on it).

      As for the device you’re logged in on the desktop app now, do you see both new and old files there, the exact same files that you see on www.dropbox.com?