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Posted By: Leovigild Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/13/23 02:43 PM
So I recently succumbed to the "3-2-1 Rule" for data backup of my computer.

a. I have automatic backup from Norton 360 on the computer.

b. I backup to an external SSD.

c. I shelled out $120 for an annual Dropbox subscription, thinking it was simple, secure cloud data storage. THEN, I discovered there is "sync" involved, which threw tons of unwanted GB back on my computer. WTF?!?

ALL I want is the aforementioned simple, secure cloud data storage WITHOUT sync, link, or automated anything. I mean, that's all I thought Dropbox was.

Is there a way to use Dropbox (or OneDrive, etc.) JUST for simple cloud data storage, no unnecessary syncing?
Posted By: Planobilly Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/13/23 09:56 PM
If you have the backup files in one folder in the SSD I assume you could upload that folder to dropbox.

I have two TB of space on my paid account but I have never tried to upload anything larger than perhaps 30 gigs at a time.

Billy
Posted By: Matt Finley Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/13/23 11:26 PM
I understand the question but never looked for a solution. Dropbox is quite aggressive backing things up on multiple devices, but many people consider that's its strong point. As I recall, whenever I install Dropbox on a new device, it asks the first time you run it to log in to your Dropbox account and then asks permission to upload all the files in certain folders, like from your documents and photos.
Posted By: DebMurphy Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/14/23 07:16 AM
This week, it got super aggressive with me and duplicated all of my short cuts on my homepage of Windows 11. I had six links of all of my music apps. Shut that off real quick and deleted a lot of duplicates.

I have it copying individual folders using this method:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click Upload.
3. Click Files or Folder: If you choose Files, select as many files as you like and click Open. If you choose Folder, select a folder and click Upload.

Hope this helps.

...Deb

Posted By: Leovigild Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/14/23 07:07 PM
Originally Posted By: DebMurphy

I have it copying individual folders using this method:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click Upload.
3. Click Files or Folder: If you choose Files, select as many files as you like and click Open. If you choose Folder, select a folder and click Upload.

Hope this helps.

...Deb



Deb, if I do that, would that be without the damnable "sync" thing? When I first naively used Dropbox, the "sync" function caused my C drive to go from 90GB left to just 13GB! Somehow I was able to recover my lost GB (can't even remember now how I did that), then just disabled Dropbox, which is where I sit now, out $120.

I appreciate all the replies, but I'm still left wondering about the whole "sync" issue. I'll see if I can chat with someone from Dropbox.
Posted By: DebMurphy Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/15/23 07:33 AM
After that it does sync.

I do not know if you copy 1 file will it continue to sync.

...Deb
Posted By: Mark Hayes Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/15/23 08:28 AM
https://help.dropbox.com/sync/make-files-online-only
Posted By: Gordon Scott Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/15/23 10:15 AM
I don't know if this helps on Windows, but on Linux I just stopped the background service from being started at power-up and/or login. When I did that, years ago, it was because I was on a slow broadband connection and DropBox was using most of my bandwidth.
Posted By: Jim Fogle Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/15/23 09:43 PM
Originally Posted By: Gordon Scott
I don't know if this helps on Windows, but on Linux I just stopped the background service from being started at power-up and/or login. When I did that, years ago, it was because I was on a slow broadband connection and DropBox was using most of my bandwidth.


I have a slow internet connection and Windows. Disabling the service at power-up and/or login stops Dropbox from syncing.

When I use Dropbox I use my browser to visit the Dropbox website, sign-in, upload whatever files I want, obtain the file links and sign out.
Posted By: Leovigild Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/18/23 03:29 PM
Originally Posted By: Jim Fogle
[quote=Gordon Scott] When I use Dropbox I use my browser to visit the Dropbox website, sign-in, upload whatever files I want, obtain the file links and sign out.


Hmmm... THAT sounds like it could be the ticket!
Posted By: Paj Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/24/23 04:40 PM
What Jim said---you don't need the DropBox app installed on your computer to upload files to your DB account online. The same for Google Drive.

Paj
8^)
Posted By: rharv Re: Dropbox storage WITHOUT sync - 03/24/23 06:59 PM
Same for OneDrive, far as I can tell.
All of them will try to get you to install it on the computer, but you don't have to.
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