Tips for getting more from Dropbox cloud storage

Tips for getting more from Dropbox cloud storage

Although there are many good cloud-storage services to choose from, I continue to mostly use Dropbox, primarily for its flexibility and level of cross-platform support.

Here are some tricks and tips for getting the most out of the service.

Using selective synching to manage local storage

I have a paid 1TB Dropbox account that I mostly use so store over 600MB of digital photos. The service lets me view, edit, and otherwise manage those images on a desktop PC, notebook, tablet, and even my smartphone. But only the desktop has sufficient storage for the entire collection of images. I keep subsets of the images on the other devices.

For example, I keep only recent photos on my notebook, where I can do an initial cut and also process them in Adobe Lightroom (site).
About six months to a year after an image is created, I move it to an “Archives” folder, which shows up only on the desktop system.

I use Dropbox’s Selective sync feature to create and manage what’s stored locally on each device. (I keep a small subset of “favorite” images on my tablet and phone.) Unfortunately, Dropbox doesn’t make accessing Selective sync especially easy. To do so, you must right-click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar and select the gear icon in the upper-right corner of the status box. Next, click Preferences/Account/Selective Sync.

The Selective sync dialog box will display a list of all folders in your Dropbox account. (You can’t selectively synch individual files.) On each device, you put a checkmark next to the folders that you want on both the local Dropbox folder and in the cloud, as shown in Figure 1.

(Note: Microsoft’s OneDrive also supports selective synching. Right-click the OneDrive folder in Explorer and click “Choose OneDrive folder to sync.”)

The quirks of selective synching is changing and/or moving a locally synched subfolder to cloud only. Unchecking a folder in the Selective sync manager deletes the folder and its contents from the local drive but not from the cloud or other devices. But on my notebook, to move a subfolder of images from the local “Recent” to the unsynched “Archives,” I must do so either online or on the desktop, which contains all my Dropbox files. (Perhaps I need to reconsider my image-organization thinking.) Fortunately, Dropbox is working on a fix for that problem; more on that below.)

Tip: Use Dropbox and Selective Sync to easily share and manage a collection of favorite background images across multiple devices.

Add a Dropbox icon to your Gmail account

If you’re a Chrome and Gmail user, install the Dropbox for Gmail add-on (site); it’ll place a Dropbox icon at the bottom of the message-entry box. When you create, forward, or reply to an email, clicking the Dropbox icon (Figure 2) opens the online version of the service. You can then attach a file stored either locally or in the cloud.

So far as I know, there are not equivalent add-ons for Outlook.com or other email systems. There are, however, third-party helper apps for Dropbox, many of them email and sharing related. An online search will turn up dozens.

Double-up your Dropbox sign-in security

If you maintain sensitive information in your Dropbox account, you can improve its safety with two-step sign-in verification. To set it up, open your Dropbox account online and click your name in the upper-right corner of the window. Click Settings/Security and then look for the “Two-step verification” section. Select the “click to enable” link and follow the prompts (see Figure 3).

To add additional protection to the cloud-stored data, download and install an encryption app such as BoxCryptor (site), which also supports Box, Google Drive, and OneDrive. A limited version is free; if you want to protect multiple devices and cloud-storage services, BoxCryptor starts at U.S. $48 per year. For a quick review of the app, see the Feb. 18 On Security story, “Encrypted backup kicks ransomware to the curb.”

And for other ways to encrypt files stored in the cloud, see the Dec. 12 Top Story, “Pre-encryption makes cloud-based storage safer.”

Recover previous versions of a file

I use a number of templates to produce articles. But I have a bad habit of not saving the template under another name before I add text and make changes. So about once or twice a week, I use Dropbox to recover the original “clean” copy of a file.

The process is quite easy; simply right click a file in the local Dropbox folder and select “View previous version.” That will open the online version of the service in a browser with a list of recent versions. On personal accounts, previous versions are saved for up to 30 days.

Also keep in mind that the online version of Dropbox can also restore deleted files, which, again, are retained for up to 30 days. Note that deleting a shared folder removes it from your account, but it remains on other shared accounts. (Tip: According to a Dropbox Help Center page, you might also find lost files in the local Dropbox cache file. Look for the section titled “Restoring a missing file from cache.”)

Manage your Office-file collaboration

If you’ve recently opened an Office document stored in Dropbox, you might have tripped over the Dropbox Badge. It appears on the right border of the open document. Clicking the badge gives you quick access to sharing options and the file’s version history.

I find the badge annoying because I rarely share my Office-based docs. Fortunately, there’s a way to manage or disable this feature. Click the badge icon and select the Preferences link. That will open your Dropbox preferences dialog box. In the General section, look for the Dropbox Badge drop-down menu. Your options are ”
Always show” (the default, naturally), “If others present,” and “Never show.”

Future Dropbox: Paper and Project Infinite

It’s hard to know where Dropbox is going with its beta Paper (Figure 4) — and extremely simple text editor that lives within the online version of the service. You can use it to create quick notes or paste images and simple text. You can’t, on the other hand, drag and drop formatted files such as a Word document. But you can clip and paste information from open documents and websites. For more on Paper, check out the YouTube video.

This past April 26, a DropboxBusiness Blog post announced its Project Infinite initiative. The concept is one Microsoft put into OneDrive — and then removed. The new Dropbox technology allows for virtual files and folders on digital devices. In essence, it lets you see all data stored on Dropbox, but keep only a selected set of physical files locally.

Think of this as an extension of selective synching. With the new feature, you could apply selective synching to specific folders and still see the files stored in the cloud in your local Windows/File Explorer. Clicking a virtual file should take you online, where you can view and open the file as needed.

Given the current limitations with selective synching, I’m eagerly waiting for Project Infinite to go live. Where is it Dropbox? Also, the original post is in the DropboxBusiness blog. If the new feature is not included with personal accounts, I’ll be extremely disappointed.

Feedback welcome: Have a question or comment about this story? Post your thoughts, praise, or constructive criticisms in the WS Columns forum.

 

Private systems generate corporate error message

Ever get an error message such as “Some settings are managed by your organization …” or “Disabled by Company Policy” when you try to alter settings on a personal PC you own? Here’s the fix.

Plus: How the Win10 clean-install process has changed, and a Win7-to-Win10 upgrade gets stuck in airplane mode!

PC thinks it’s managed by someone else

Reader Rich is one of many PC owners who receive error messages normally seen only on locked-down, centrally-managed corporate systems — errors that can prevent accessing and changing important Windows settings.

• “I’m running Win10. In Settings/System/Notifications and actions there is a red message, ‘Some settings are managed by your organization.’ But this is my PC, and I’m the only Administrator.

  “Unfortunately, this message prevents me from enabling notifications and other tasks.

  “I ran sfc /scannow, and it found and corrected some corrupted files. But it also said some problems were not corrected. Any ideas?”

When a personally-managed PC generates an unexpected message such as “Some settings are managed by your organization” or the related “Disabled by Company Policy,” it’s usually an unintended consequence of changes made in Windows’ privacy, security, or telemetry settings.

In Win10, for example, many users use brute-force methods to try to modify the amount of data that Windows transmits back to Microsoft, thinking that this phone-home behavior is somehow deeply threatening. But some changes made to Win10’s telemetry/privacy/security settings work by invoking corporate-style lockdown functions that can make other system settings inaccessible by normal means. Your PC might phone home less, but now you’re locked out of some important management functions!

(Note: There are better and safer methods for managing Win10’s telemetry settings. See, for example, the item “More on Win10’s phone-home telemetry,” in the March 22 LangaList Plus.)

Less commonly, corporate-style error messages can also arise from group-policy edits, incorrect email settings, changes in how your system handles updates, and other reasons.

In any case, here’s the most common fix for corporate error messages on private Win10 PCs:

Click to Win10’s Settings/Privacy/Feedback & diagnostics/Diagnostics and usage data and change the setting there to Enhanced or Full. That will probably send more telemetry information back to Microsoft, but odds are you’ll now have full access to normal admin-level settings and functions.

If that doesn’t work, see the following articles:

• Reg-edit solution: “[Solution Found] ‘Some settings are managed by your organization’ when trying to change notification settings.” – Microsoft Answers
• Group policy–edit solution: “‘Some settings are managed by your organization’ while not on domain?” – Super User
• Group policy–edit solution: “How to fix ‘Some settings are managed by your organization’ message in Windows 10” – IBTimes.com
• Remove telemetry-block solution: “Remove in WinUpdate ‘Some settings are managed by your organization'” – Windows Ten Forums
• Other fixes: “How to fix the ‘Disabled by Company Policy’ or ‘Managed by Your Organization’ message in Windows 10” – How-To Geek.com

Changes in the Win10 clean-install process

Following the steps in “How to clean-install a Windows 10 upgrade” (Sept. 10, 2015, Top Story), Elliott Alterman had a question.

• “Your suggested method for doing a clean install says:

  “‘First, you must — at least temporarily — upgrade your current Win7/8 system to Win10, the standard way. During this initial upgrade, Microsoft’s activation servers create and store a unique and permanent machine ID that’s based on your old Windows key plus the system’s hardware.‘

  “I’ve tried to do a regular install of Win10 twice, but each time it hangs up in the middle of the process. So I need to do a clean install.
  Your text says that the initial step must be an update. But that can’t be done on my machine. The system is relatively new and, based on all items I’ve read and tests I’ve run, it’s fully Win10 capable.

  “Do you have any alternative suggestions for a clean install? Thanks.”

The methods in “How to clean-install a Windows 10 upgrade” still work, through there has been an important change. In the months since that article appeared, Microsoft has altered the Win10 licensing/activation process twice! Those changes provide new options, at least one of which will help you, Elliott.

Now, in addition to the process described in the aforementioned article, you can use a valid product key from a Win7/8 setup when setting up Win10. (See the Microsoft article, “Activation in Windows 10.”) This makes the initial must-upgrade step unnecessary. You can clean install and activate Win10 using your current Win7/8 key instead.

Also, Microsoft is now beta-testing a new Digital License tool that will likely replace the current Digital Entitlement mechanism. The new process will tie your Win10 license to your Microsoft Account. Therefore, it’s important that, at least initially, you set up Win10 to use your Microsoft Account username/password for signing in. (Later, you can change to a local sign in process. But, again, start by using your Microsoft Account.) For more information, see the Supersite article. “Microsoft takes another step towards minimizing activation issues on Windows 10.”

Special reminder: As of this writing, the free Win10 upgrade is scheduled to end very soon — on July 29. Before that deadline, the clean install process will still work as described, if you’ve upgraded to Win10. If you haven’t acted by then, you’ll have to pay for a new digital license when you upgrade or clean-install Win10 for the first time on a given PC. (For complete details on the free upgrade, see Microsoft’s “Upgrade to Windows 10: FAQ” page, “How to Upgrade to Windows 10” page, and “Get Windows 10” site.)

So, Elliott, here’s what I suggest: Before July 29, make a full backup or system image of your current setup, download the latest Win10 setup files (e.g., a fresh ISO or installation drive; site), and then install Win10 from scratch — i.e., skip the initial upgrade step.

When you’re asked to activate Win10, use your Win7/8 product key; it should be accepted, and you’ll be up and running with a free, fresh, new, up-to-date, and activated copy of Win10.

New Win10 upgrade thinks it’s at 30,000 feet

Greg Nagley’s new Win10 setup experienced a very unusual problem — it’s stuck in airplane mode (info), which blocks virtually all external communication.

• “Recently I tried to upgrade Win7 to Win10, but, after a restart, it was in Airplane mode — and all because Win10 refuses to work with my uninterruptable power supply (UPS).

  “I can get it out of airplane mode by disconnecting the UPS and rebooting. This has never happened with any other Windows upgrade; and as soon as I restored Win7, all was well.

  “So if I want Win10, I must not have a UPS — that’s nuts! Is there a fix for this? For me, Win10 is just junk software that should be avoided at all costs.”

Your anger is understandable, but misplaced. Here’s why — and here’s a solution.

It sounds like you have a so-called “smart” UPS; one that includes software that can interact with Windows, typically via a signal wire. For example, the UPS might tell Windows to initiate a controlled, “graceful” system shutdown if external power is lost and the UPS batteries are about to run out.

Your airplane-mode issue is almost certainly a compatibility problem between the UPS control software/drivers and Win10. The solution: Visit the UPS manufacturer’s support site to obtain and install Win10-specific drivers. (And please note: Drivers and software for add-on devices are the responsibility of the device manufacturer, not Microsoft. Win10 isn’t the problem here.)

If such drivers aren’t available, you still can use the UPS as a conventional “dumb” battery-backup device. Simply uninstall the UPS-control software; the UPS should still provide backup battery power in the event that external power is lost — your PC just won’t automatically shut down gracefully, should an extended power failure exhaust the UPS batteries.

That likely won’t be a major problem if you remember to save your work or, even better, engage hybrid sleep or hibernation when you’re going to be away from your PC for longer than the battery backup is likely to last. If you’ve saved your work or engaged hybrid sleep or hibernation, your work and software should be safe, even if the PC later loses all power.

If, however, you absolutely require that your PC be left fully on and active at all times (e.g., it’s used to continuously save data from external instruments), then you’ll need to switch to a UPS whose manufacturer supports Win10 with appropriate drivers or software.

Feedback welcome: Have a question or comment about this story? Post your thoughts, praise, or constructive criticisms in the WS Columns forum.