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Forum Discussion

bob99's avatar
bob99
Helpful | Level 5
4 years ago

Stop creating a file (.dropbox.device) on every device I connect to my pc!

Simple solution had at least an option in the settings to disable this feature.   I red a lot of messages in this community going back over a year now... and I understand why it's being created t...
Desktop
Setting up the apps
  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    3 years ago

    Hi all - thanks for ongoing patience and feedback on this.

     

    Could you please let us know if you notice this behavior after installing our latest, stable version of the desktop app found on this page?

     

    Thanks so much!

VicVega's avatar
VicVega
Helpful | Level 6

I have the same question. And I think you can move forward with replying to us without asking for a screenshot. You work for Dropbox! How about asking the person next to you? Or do a Google search, or just plug an external drive to a Windows PC with the Dropbox client installed. Don't ask the end user for more information that can so easily be obtained at your own fingertips.

Jay's avatar
Jay
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
4 years ago
Hi everyone, if you're plugging in an external drive to your computer, if you choose not to back it up to Dropbox, then to prevent the app from prompting about the same drive in the future, the dropbox.device file is created there. This isn't locally stored in the Dropbox desktop application.

If you delete the file, then the app will again prompt if you want to back it up, each time it is deleted. 
  • Gigabyte's avatar
    Gigabyte
    Helpful | Level 6
    4 years ago

    Hi.

    I am not making backup of any disc. And I don't plans to create them. Why do I need have these settings (files) on all connected drives?

    It is necessary to stop their creation. The program interferes into user's individual space and litters there.

     

    Also, when I connect a USB flash drive from the camera, the file is created there, and Adobe Lightroom Import reports an error: The files are not photos or videos. And this is also a problem just, because the Dropbox decided to remember something on this device. This doesn't apply to Dropbox and Dropbox shouldn't monitor my external drives.

    Please add a settings to stop this. Your support board already has several threads about it and peoples are outraged by the creation of files.

    • Gigabyte's avatar
      Gigabyte
      Helpful | Level 6
      4 years ago

      What if I insert another user's external drive into my computer, who uses Dropbox and has different settings? For example, he makes backups. My Dropbox wiil be use settings of another user's from a file on disk?


      And the file that will write my Dropbox to external drive of another's user will force its dropbox to follow my settings? This is very, very strange!

  • immerge consul jinks tribade's avatar
    immerge consul jinks tribade
    New member | Level 2
    7 months ago

    Sometimes I need my external drives to stay intact, especially considering files in fs root.

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