DropBox

Anything Really. Just keep it clean!

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PepsiHog
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DropBox

Post by PepsiHog » Wed Jun 26, 2013 4:49 pm

I've mentioned before how I do not trust sites that allow you to upload data. This is a perfect example.

I downloaded DropBox and installed it so I could share a very lengthy script in this forum. It worked very well. After I used it, I closed DropBox and set it not to start at startup. I didn't really think about it at first. When I shutdown I kept seeing "Closing Network Connections" Keep in mind DropBox is supposedly not loading at startup. Well, after investigating this I tracked it back to dropbox. I looked in at my network connections settings. There was nothing but my internet connection. I'm not too savy when it comes to networking. I can manage, but I'm not an expert. So I sent DropBox an e-mail about how to disconnect the network connection until I needed to use it again. I explained that I was concerned about security issues.

Here is the reply to my "security issue" e-mail I sent to DropBox.
Dropbox Support, Jun 22 12:15 am (PDT):
Hi,

Thanks for writing in. While we'd love to answer every question we receive, we can't get back to you at this time.

If you need to restore a lot of files, please take these steps: https://www.dropbox.com/help/400
Also, check out our help center for solutions to the most frequent questions: https://www.dropbox.com/help

We're sorry for the inconvenience,
The Dropbox Team
How convenient they can't answer my "security question" at this time. And why would they make the connection be OPEN all the time, even when DropBox isn't loaded? When you install DropBox it opens the connection. When you close DropBox I would expect that it would close that connection. Why leave it open? And why are they not willing to tell me how to disconnect it? Dishonest much? Spy, spy, spy.

Anyway, I just restored my system with an image. Only took 20 minutes. And now when I need to use DropBox I install it in a sandbox. So much for spying on me. Punks.

Yes, maybe I'm paranoid, but it does beg to question. I'd rather be paranoid than ignorant or a victim.

Got Victim?
PepsiHog
Last edited by PepsiHog on Thu Jul 11, 2013 1:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Windows 7

PepsiHog. Yep! I drink LOTS of Pepsi (still..in 2021) AND enjoy programming. (That's my little piece of heaven!)

The immensity of the scope of possibilities within Macro Scheduler pushes the user beyond just macros!

armsys
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Post by armsys » Sun Jun 30, 2013 11:43 pm

Hi PepsiHog,
Thanks for sharing your security concern with us.
Have you checked if DropBox installed:
1. Windows service(s);
2. Scheduled task(s).

Questions to PepsiHog on imaging:
1. Which image backup/restore software do you use?
2. Is the image required to be stored onto external disk(s)?
3. Can the image be backed up to and restored from network drive(s)?
4. Can the image created from Computer A to be restored on Computer B?
5. Is cloning possible? What if different CPU/Chipsets?
Thanks in advance.

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PepsiHog
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Joined: Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:19 pm
Location: Florida

Post by PepsiHog » Wed Jul 03, 2013 4:13 pm

@ armsys,

I checked if there was something starting at boot time. But no. Probably could have, but MS is waiting. I have better things to do. Yeah, I could figure it out. I have no doubt about that. But why bother? It only takes 20 minutes to restore my system. I'd probably spend more time investigating and fixing.

1) Acronis.

2) You can not create your backup file on the drive that is being backed up. It does not have to be external. If your internal hd is partitioned you can have it store the info to another partition. The same applies to restoring. The image can not be on the drive you are restoring.

3) "Network" just means you are connected to that drive. Unless the admin has defined rules to prevent you from doing so, yes, you can restore or backup any network drive. The KEY is you have to be connected some how. That's a local network. (LAN) Where Wide Area Networks (WAN) are concerned, so long as you have the rights you should be able to. And you have to be connected, ofcourse. Windows has default rules about this, which may need to be changed(Locally) to gain access/rights. These settings can't usually be changed remotely. However, you do write macros, so this may not apply to you.

edit - After thinking about #3, I'm not entirely sure I'm correct. You should be able to backup. But restoring may not be possible without being local. System rules would be defeated if you could recover remotely, and I'm not sure if this can be configured or not.

4) Yes. But it may or may not work. If both computers are the same type, i.e. - Compaq, Dell, and you have enough drive space, it's no problem. But if the imaged computer uses drivers that the other does not, or has components dif from the other, you may run into minor issues. Starting in Safe Mode should usually allow you to remove what isn't needed. Plus, the display modes of both computers need to be the same capabilities. A driver that tries to use display modes that are not present will sometimes cause Windows to not start. You will just get a black screen. There are registry edits that will make Windows ignore this, but I have not played with that as of yet. I am speaking from Windows XPerience. (that's what XP stands for.)

5) Acronis has drive cloning options. Yes. CPU/Chipsets don't have anything to do with it. That is the settings for your over-all computer. This may lead back to being of the same type. But if they are the same type, but have dif settings for chipsets or CPU, it should not matter. Unless you have a POS like Toshiba. I was refering to computers, not Toshiba. If case is true, sorry for your misfortune. And don't buy that POS again.

PepsiHog
Windows 7

PepsiHog. Yep! I drink LOTS of Pepsi (still..in 2021) AND enjoy programming. (That's my little piece of heaven!)

The immensity of the scope of possibilities within Macro Scheduler pushes the user beyond just macros!

armsys
Automation Wizard
Posts: 1108
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2002 10:28 am
Location: Hong Kong

Post by armsys » Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:34 am

@PepsiHog,
Appreciate your thorough reply.
Acronis appears to be quite popular.
In past, these backup/restore things seemed unreliable to me.
But your success story impressed me.
Thanks to your high-value info, I'll try it out.
I'm a mochaccino guy. I'm also a Dell guy.
I bought my only Toshiba from Orlando, FL.
Thanks for your help.

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