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How can I back up an external hard drive on different computers?
Hi,
Can I backup an external hard drive on different computers signed in to the same account?
I BackedUp my external hd initially on computer 1. I just tried to BackUp on computer 2 signed into the same account, but the Manage Backup page asks to Sign on to the device? I have the options of Adding a Backup and that original external drive is there, but this creates a new backup.
Am I missing something?
Thanks
I can view the backed up files on 2TB Pics and Videos but there is no option to sync. It says to manage the settings , sign on to that device.
That's not how the backup feature works. If you moved the external drive to a new computer, Dropbox sees it as a new device so you would have to create a new backup of the drive. You can't sync or add to a backup that was made on a different computer. If you want to update the existing backup, you would need to do so from the original computer.
5 Replies
- T_theresa_A
Community Manager
Hi there David7858 🎉 Welcome to the Dropbox Community! I’m super excited to see that your storage and sync issue got sorted out.
I’m Theresa, by the way, and you’ll likely spot me around the Community 👩💻. I genuinely love connecting with our members and discovering how they use Dropbox in their everyday lives 💙.
If you’re up for it, I’d love to hear how you make the most of Dropbox 💡. Who knows, you might just inspire some cool tips we can share with others or even spark ideas for our internal team 🤗.
T 😺 (Dropbox Community Manager) Thank you for answer. I couldn't find any info about having to use the same computer to back up an external drive in the DropBox Help.
- Rich
Super User II
I can view the backed up files on 2TB Pics and Videos but there is no option to sync. It says to manage the settings , sign on to that device.
That's not how the backup feature works. If you moved the external drive to a new computer, Dropbox sees it as a new device so you would have to create a new backup of the drive. You can't sync or add to a backup that was made on a different computer. If you want to update the existing backup, you would need to do so from the original computer.
Hi,
My external hard is all pics and videos . I initially connected it to computer A, signed into Dropbox and ran BackUp. A month later, I added more pictures to the external drive onComputer B. I didn't have access to computer A, so I connected the drive to Computer B, signed into the same Dropbox account.
This is the Manage Backup screen shot. I can view the backed up files on 2TB Pics and Videos but there is no option to sync. It says to manage the settings , sign on to that device. I don't understand what that means to sign in on that device.
However I can add or re-add the 2TB Pics and Video as a new backup.
I hope this explains my issue more clearly
- Nancy
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for your post here, David7858!
I’d like to clarify something before further assisting you.
When saying you’d like to back up your external hard drive on a second device, do you mean that you connected the same hard drive you had backed up on the previous computer and you wish to use that same Dropbox backup, but from a different device?
Please feel free to also send me a screenshot of the backup options you see and I’ll take a look.
Let me know, once you have more info.
