Google Drive for Desktop not working

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I use Google Drive for Desktop as part of my backup strategy. Recently it stopped being able to upload my files. It’s not giving any error messages and says it is processing files, but none of the are available in Google Drive on the Web. In experimenting I found that it works if I start it as an administrator. Obviously I don’t want to do that on a regular basis. Can anyone suggest how to determine what is blocking it from uploading files when run from a regular user account?

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Is this a new or different user account?

Is it failing on the same set of files that worked in the past? Or new files?

Have you checked ownership of the files?

 

--Joe

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Hi Joep517,

Thanks for the reply. It is the same user account and the folders and files involved have at least read & execute permissions. Whether they are the same or new files is a little more complicated. I’m sorry for the long explanation below, but I probably should have included it the first time because it’s likely relevant.

I have two hard drives on my system. The second is just a copy of the primary. Every few weeks I do an image copy of the primary drive. I then turn off Google Drive for Desktop (and disable its startup) and restore the image to the second drive, doing it outside of Windows, booting from a USB drive. When I then boot back to Windows that second drive is always offline because of the duplicate disk signatures, so I use Windows’ Drive Management to put it back on line. I also have to change the drive letter back to what it was previously. I then restart Drive for Desktop. So yes, they are the same set of files, but they have been newly created.

I use Drive for Desktop in Mirror (not streaming) mode and I point it only to folders on my second drive. So it is backing up copies of my Desktop, Documents, etc., not the originals. I’ve done this for years, but the new version of Drive for Desktop is now failing to copy the files to Google Drive after I do the image copy and restore. I’ve tried reinstalling Drive for Desktop as well as deleting all my Google Drive on-line files but neither helps.

Thanks for any suggestions

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I finally got it working putting together several sets of suggestions I found on the Internet. In case someone else has a problem with Google Drive for Windows here are the steps I took to get it working again:

1. Click Settings > Preferences. Click the gear icon and click Disconnect Account.

2. Uninstall Drive for Desktop.

3. Delete the My Drive folder in C:\users\ivan and create a new folder with a different name.

4. Go online to drive.google.com and delete the Computers folder.

5. Reinstall Drive for Desktop.

6. Tell it where the new folder I created in step 3 is.

7. Go to settings, preferences, Google Drive Folders from Drive on the left side and change it from Stream Files to Mirror Files.

8. Add back the folders to be synced.

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anonymous wrote:

Every few weeks I do an image copy of the primary drive

That is a convoluted method that won’t protect you against machine failure / loss, only primary drive failure. I would backup / image to an external drive and copy the files you want on GD to the second drive for GD to mirror.

cheers, Paul

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