Failure to install Dropbox on Ubuntu 22.04 with Xfce

Applications
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System:
Host: HP-EliteDesk-800-G1-SFF
Kernel: 6.8.0-51-generic x86_64
Desktop: Xfce 4.16.0 Distro: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS

Some time ago Dropbox ceased to work and at the same time there seemed to be other file corruption.

I did as in
“Fixing a Broken Ubuntu 22.04 System Without Reinstalling – TheLinuxCode”

apt update -m
dpkg --configure -a
apt install -f

fsck /dev/sda3 # / folder clear
fsck /dev/sdb1 # home folder clear
sudo apt install --reinstall xubuntu-desktop

I reinstalled Dropbox as in the next steps:

sudo apt install --reinstall thunar-dropbox-plugin
sudo apt install --reinstall ~/Downloads/dropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb

Doing ‘reinstall xubuntu-desktop’ seemed to correct other faults. On start up a Dropbox login screen appears in FF so that I can login and get message ‘Computer successfully linked to Dropbox’ and I can access the Dropbox files in FF but no Dropbox folder in Thunar.

Clicking on Dropbox icon in panel and selecting Preferences gives

Account - message ‘This computer is not linked to any account’
Sync - no folder is shown nor can any files be set

In the Dropbox screen when I click on the Person Icon, select Install Desktop App and click on Install nothing happens.

I am not sure whether this is a Dropbox app problem or whether there are other faults causing Dropbox installation to fail as in no Dropbox folder in Thunar.
Unfortunately I do not have a recent backup of root on sda3 - we live and learn! Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

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Hello Clive,

You need to install a plugin for Dropbox integration with Thunar:

sudo apt install thunar-dropbox-plugin

Also, I would appreciate if this is a forum topic, rather than a direct message. This will get you help quickly from other members and possibly also help people in the future who suffer from the same problem.

Can I convert this message into an open topic on the forum?

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Hi Abhishek

Thanks for your help and sorry to be a nuisance. Yes please convert to an open topic. I wanted to put it on the open forum previously but having completed the text I could not find a way of doing that. I found an existing thread from 2022 concerning dropbox, could it be that this existing thread prevented me from posting? I have installed thunar-dropbox-plugin but it did not help.

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The easy way is to copy/paste text into the topic edit window.

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@nevj Thanks for the comment. I am not sure what went wrong, I started a new thread, set up the entry but was unable to post it!
@callpaul.eu Thanks for the reference which I have previously used. When I login on my PC a Dropbox webpage appears on Firefox, I can sign in to Dropbox, there is then a message ‘Computer successfully linked to Dropbox’ and I can see my Dropbox files.

There is no Dropbox folder in Thunar.
Clicking on Dropbox icon in panel and selecting Preferences gives
Account - message ‘This computer is not linked to any account’
Sync - no folder is shown nor can any files be set.

It looks almost as thou Dropbox sees the PC at initial logon but fails to identify it to set up Dropbox folder. I have installed thunar-dropbox-plugin

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I cant remember exactly, it is a long time since I used Dropbox, but I think there are 2 steos needed

  1. the dropbox install… you did that
  2. run a setup script… I seem to remember the script being in a file called ‘.dropbox’ or ‘.dropbox-something’.
    When you run the script it makes the Dropbox directory and I think it sets up your Dropbox account space on tne Dropbox site.

Sorry, I am a bit vague… it was years ago.

Anyway that is why you dont see anything… you have only done the first step.

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https://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?t=422050

May help

I only use dropbox on line to send files so never tried in file manage to locate it.

Your Dropbox folder is located under ~/Library/CloudStorage

I am informed but have not yet checked it

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Mine was in my home directory ~/Dropbox

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Is it not showing in file manager because hidden folders are not shown by default so that setting needs to change ?
press the menu button in the sidebar of the window and select Show Hidden Files folders.

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Thanks @callpaul.eu and @nevj for comments. I have Dropbox running as expected on a laptop with
Kernel: 6.8.0-52-generic x86_64 bits: Desktop: Xfce 4.16.0 Distro: Ubuntu 22.04.5 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)
identical to the settings on the desktop with the Dropbox problem.

On the laptop there is the ~/Dropbox folder and no ~/Library folder. I had no problems in installing Dropbox on the laptop - possibly 2 years ago so am very puzzled as to why I am having the problems on the desktop. In the original email to Abhishek I said that I had some problems with file corruption on the desktop but thought I had cured those and apart from the Dropbox problem the desktop is stable. Thanks for your consideration but it seems that I have to live with the problem or do a complete reinstall and possibly upgrade to Xubuntu 24 LPS at the same time.

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Yes, a reinstall may fix that, unless you have a hardware issue.
If you are reinstalling, why not try Linux Mint instead of Ubuntu… Mint is based on Ubuntu but avoids some of Ubuntu’s difficult aspects like snap packs.
and
Do a backup of your personal files, before any reinstall

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Thanks @nevj . I have /home on a separate drive which makes installation safer. I will try Linux Mint having read so many good reports of it. I have only one app installed as snap but there are a lot of extras snap files! I wrote on the forum some time ago that I had found a crossover of files between snap and flatpack so without snap it will be safer to use flatpack if needed.

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