Re-installing Dropbox

[ejc]

Hello,
I had a nasty experience trying to re-install DB. I had probably tried to install it and renounced a couple of months ago without finishing the importation of my thousands of files. I used the easy install option ("Lite software") and selected DB.
When it started to install it, it first told me that the DB folder had been moved and that i should put it back in the home folder.
Since i was unable to find any DB folder anywhere, I created one in the home folder, called Dropbox, as requested by the install process, and I re-launched the application and it started syncing and indexing.
As i was t ying to see the progression in the window called DB, i could not see anything, although the machine was showing some activity for 2 hours;
then suddenly i started to see on my laptop, where the DB is running on Win7, some notifications telling me that folders and files were deleted;
i stopped the program on the linux machine, contacted the online chat of DB, and indeed, the linux machine was deleting all my files
i just restaured and desinstalled DB (using synaptic).

Any explanation?
Is there any way to install DB on LL safely and locally?

Thanks!
E

[valtam]

Make sure Dropbox (ANY version) is uninstalled first.
Go to your Home folder, Ctrl+H to show hidden files. Delete the 2 dropbox folders.

The correct procedure is to install it via Lite Software.

If you need your dropbox folder to be somewhere other than Home, use Preferences option in Dropbox.

[ejc]

1° Shouldn't it be "lite software" which should check and delete any previous version before installing?
2° I did what you recommended: Ctrl +H and saw one "normal" Dropbox folder in addition to a .dropbox folder and a .dropbox-dist one
3° After deleting the normal one, and looking at the names to write the 2° in this comment, I saw the DB icon in the bottom right starting to move, which means that what I did yesterday after the problems (go to Synaptic and uninstall Dropbox from there, and searching afterwards with Synaptic for anything with Dropbox in the name, which gave zero result) had no effect!
4° I've now quit the DB from the bottom right icon tray, but it means it is still here! Although I killed it yesterday with Synaptics and now with doing what you just said, deleting the folders with Dropbox in the name in the home folder.
5° On top of that, the DB support seems useless because I've spent time with them yesterday and asked them to verify that the machine identified as **** was now dessociated from my DB account (I thought desinstalling should do that but I understand now that as long as you don't do it physically, either with the tray or in the preferences, it leaves some strings).
6° I will move to PCloud because my experience of DB and its "think positive" support for the last 6 months is BAD.
7° How should I desinstall DB efficiently from my LL machine?

UPDATE 13/1/2020: so that other people don't get deceived by Pcloud, avoid it! DB remains far better! No comparison.
https://www.cloudwards.net/review/pcloud
https://www.trustpilot.com/review/pcloud.com

[valtam]

Did you completely remove the 2 .dropbox folders after uninstalling Dropbox? How did you uninstall Dropbox?

[ejc]

Yesterday, after re-installing it and letting it sync/index for 2 hours (but seeing no file appear in the DB folder I had created in home, as requested by the install process of lite software), i quit it via the tray, and then went to synaptic; i selected the first box and it was supposed to be a complete suppression.
I checked afterwards and search "dropbox" in synaptic, got no result, and slept on my two ears.
Then morning i turned on to see if you answered, did what you say (removed all the 3 folders described above from the home folder) and suddenly saw some activity bottom right, i.e. the DB icon "starting" it.
So i realized it was still here, and went to "lite software" and did the uninstall process again. Then I turned off.
It seems now to be gone (nothing called dropbox in home)

[valtam]

The uninstall procedure for Dropbox is incomplete. You can blame their devs for that. Other than the 2 .dropbox folders people have to delete manually, there is also the need to remove the start up application. Menu, Settings, Start up, untick Dropbox in the start up tab.

Sent from my Mobile phone using Tapatalk

[valtam]

Once you have you uninstalled Dropbox via the 2 hidden folders and the start up item, you can then install via Lite Software. This is the correct procedure. I wouldn't give up on Dropbox, the file manager integration is extremely useful. Then set the new folder location via Dropbox preferences and then resync.

Sent from my Mobile phone using Tapatalk

[ejc]

The problem with db is that it is expensive and that they are now rising prices up (and doubling the size) of the 1 To deal. But since it is impossible to ask the web version to show the folders "by size" unless you actually click twice to request that (on the folder to select it... you can actually go til 5 folders at once + on "calculate the size" somewhere on the right of the screen) and that it is also impossible to simply ask it to download at once a full archive, or even an archive in chunks, I prefer to leave them. I have no machine that can carry the whole contents without getting seriously close to be full.
But just to say, I managed to do a backup of 80 Go of contents on a 2 Go machine with atom in ca 5 hours (and my connection is not that fast) without trouble. Congrats to LL !

[valtam]

So this is Solved?

[ejc]

yes it is solved, but why then keep synaptic in the open? people like me get confused and are not able then to desinstall properly.