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Forum Discussion
Reinstalling Dropbox App and Retaining D drive location for Dropbox folder
I recently had to reinstall Windows 10 on a desktop. I had the Dropbox folder installed on my D drive, which is a separate physical drive (not a partition) from my C drive. The Dropbox app was installed on C, which was reformatted as part of the reinstallation, so I lost the Dropbox app. Since the W10 reinstallation did not affect my D drive (which contains only data files), the Dropbox folder is still there and is intact. When I reinstalled the Dropbox app, it created a new Dropbox folder on C and synced my files to it. I went to sync preferences and tried to move my Dropbox folder to D, but it (correctly) tells me I already have a Dropbox folder there. I thought maybe something as simple as renaming the Dropbox folder on D and then using sync preferences to move the Dropbox folder from C to D would work, but it didn't. I would appreciate any help in reestablishing my Dropbox folder back to D. (FWIW, the "new" Dropbox folder on C has the Dropbox icon with a checkmark at lower left, and the "old" Dropbox folder on D has a plain Dropbox icon).
MWilcox wrote:
The wording is "In which folder do you want the Dropbox folder?" I selected D:\user\me\Dropbox, and now I have a "new" Dropbox folder within my old Dropbox folder, both on D.
The question was asking what folder do you want your Dropbox folder to be located in; not what folder do you want your files in. Basically, you told it to create a new Dropbox folder inside your existing one. What you wanted to select was D:\user\me, and then Dropbox would have detected the existing folder and asked if you wanted to use it.
You likely have two options.
Exit the Dropbox application then uninstall it. Delete the newly created D:\user\me\Dropbox\Dropbox folder, being sure not to delete your original folder. Reinstall Dropbox again and when selecting a location for the Dropbox folder, be sure to select the folder ABOVE your existing Dropbox folder, so D:\user\me. Dropbox should ask if you want to use the existing folder.
The other option is how I move my Dropbox folder to a new computer, rather than re-downloading everything.
Uninstall Dropbox. Rename your existing Dropbox folder to Dropbox_OLD or similar. Reinstall Dropbox and select the location that you want for the Dropbox folder (D:\user\me). When the installation is finished, Dropbox will immediately start to sync. Exit the Dropbox application so syncing stops. Move the content of Dropbox_OLD into the newly created Dropbox folder. When the move is complete, and not before, launch Dropbox again.
At this point Dropbox will begin indexing all of your files. This process will take a while, especially if you have a lot of data to go through. During this time it may say that files are uploading or downloading, but it's only transferring comparison data and any changes that it finds. Be patient and LET IT WORK.
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey MWilcox, thanks for coming to our Community with this.
Can you let me know what happened, when you renamed the old Dropbox folder on your D drive and tried to move the new one through the preferences?
Did you get the same error message, that a Dropbox folder already exists, or was it something else?
Also, at the moment, has the Dropbox app finished syncing your files to the C drive?
Meaning, do you have two identical Dropbox folders on your computer?
Let me know and we'll go from there.
Hello and thanks for responding.
My first approach was to rename the existing Dropbox folder on D and then use sync preferences to move the "new" Dropbox folder from C to D. I tried this several times and both times it stopped working in the middle of transferring the files (not sure why). The folder has about 61,000 files.
It appears that the new Dropbox folder on C has finished syncing. Fortunately, I hadn't added any files to my D Dropbox folder, so I now have three locations with the same files-- Dropbox cloud, and C and D Dropbox folders on my desktop.
If I uninstall/reinstall Dropbox app, is there some way to avoid creating a new Dropbox folder on C and have install app understand there is already a Dropbox folder on D?
- Megan
Hi MWilcox, according to the Dropbox desktop application preferences, where is the current location of the Dropbox folder? I am assuming the C drive, right?
Do the sync icons appear in the old or new location?
Also, you mentioned that the process stopped while transferring files. It might sound trivial, but was the device and app open and running at all times during this?
