drop2sync FAQ

Please note: drop2sync will stop working with Dropbox on December 1, 2012: See the drop2sync page for details.

drop2sync Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Here are some frequently asked questions.  If you have a question that’s not on this list, please send us email at support@whitneyapps.com

 

Q: Can I use drop2sync for ebooks I bought from the library or bought from other sources?

The NOOK can read “locked” books that were borrowed or purchased using Adobe Digital Editions software, and you can sync them wirelessly with drop2sync.  Before you can open them, you’ll need to “authorize” your Nook, and there are some restrictions on how you can copy them.  Please see our dedicated page about copy-protected EPUB and PDF files.

Q: Does drop2sync do two-way sync?

A: No, drop2sync is designed to copy materials one-way to your NOOK device.

Q: How do I delete files from my device?

A: Great news on this one.  The latest version of software for the NOOK Color and NOOK Tablet allows you to delete files without a computer.  Simply navigate to the file (tap the ‘n button, tap “library,” tap “my stuff,” tap “my files” and then choose the appropriate folders until you find the file you’d like to delete.  Long press the file icon (long press just means press and hold the icon) until a list of options appears.  Tap “delete” on the list of options.  Voila!  The file is deleted!  (NOTE: If you still have it in your drop2sync remote folder and you do another sync, it’ll be copied again.)

Q: What kinds of files does drop2sync support?

A: drop2sync is set up to copy all of the file types the NOOK Colorâ„¢/Tabletâ„¢ supports.  You can get a list of them from Barnes & Noble’s website at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/nookcolor-support-beyond-ebooks/379002553/

Q: Where are my files after I sync?

A: Following the Nook’s standards, drop2sync copies everything to folders inside the “My Files” folder (see the last step in the Guided Setup for instructions on how to get there:  Tap the Nook “n” button beneath the screen.  If the “Quick Nav” bar doesn’t appear near the bottom of the screem tap the little upward-pointing triangle.  Next tap “library” then tap “my files”.  Inside the My Files folder are other folders where documents will be copied:

Music files go into a folder called “Music”
Video files go into a folder called “Videos”
Ebook files (EPUB) go into a folder called “Books”
Microsoft Office files go into a folder called “Documents”
Photos go into a folder called “Pictures”
PDF files may go to “Books” or “Documents” depending on what you select in “Advanced Settings.”

NOTE: If you have configured drop2sync to use your removable memory card, tap “Memory card” before tapping “My Files.”

Why do I have to sync several times to get all of my files?

drop2sync will get all files that have been completely uploaded to your cloud service account at the time of the sync.  When you drag files to, for example, the Dropbox folder on your computer, the computer starts uploading it in the background.  It takes some time to transfer all of the files.  You can either wait for all files to completely upload or run a few syncs until you get them all.

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13 replies on “drop2sync FAQ”

Hello

It looks like Drop 2Sync is re-uploading items that I previously loaded, instead of just uploading recently added items. Do I have to take old items out of the Drop2sync folder when I have finished synching them? Is there anyway to avoid that?

Also, if I move from the Drop2Sync sync status page to another application, or to read my book, of check the web, does this stop the synch process or is it still going on in the background?

Finally, when it synchs it does not seem to go in order that I have placed them in the file. How do I know WHICH files have been synched and are available, and which ones are not yet loaded? (If I want to stop and go somewhere, I can’t tell if the one file that I REALLY want to take with me, has been loaded, or if it is still waiting to be loaded….)

Thanks a lot!

Kim

Thanks
Kim

Hi, Kim!

Let’s get these questions resolved for you.

Let’s start by clearing up the terminology so we can be sure we understand each other. “Uploading” is what the Dropbox app does to copy things from a computer to your Dropbox account. “Downloading” is what drop2sync does to copy files from your Dropbox account to your NOOK.

1. Drop2sync is designed to copy files only once unless their modified in your Dropbox or Box account. If for some reason Dropbox’s program on your computer uploads things again, drop2sync will download them again. That shouldn’t be happening, but if it is, there’s a simple solution. Just tap the “Advanced Settings” button on drop2sync’s main screen (dashboard) and tap the “Update Changed Files” button so it says, “Don’t Update Files.” That will make sure that it never copies a file twice.

2. Once you start a sync, drop2sync will continue the sync while you do something else and will post a “notification” on the status bar in the bottom left of your screen to let you know that the sync has completed. (You’ll see a little right-facing arrow icon. If you tap it, you can get more information.)

3. The order that files are uploaded to your Dropbox or Box account is determined by the Dropbox/Box program on your computer. Drop2sync doesn’t have any control over that, but when you do a sync, drop2sync keeps a log of what it did (which files it copied, whether there were any problems, etc.). If you tap the “View Log” button on the dashboard you can see a log of what happened in various syncs. (The date and time is there.) If you tap one, you’ll see which files were copied so if you want a particular file, you can see if it’s among the files that were copied. Drop2sync copies all files that were available when you started the sync in the order that Dropbox or Box gives them to it in response to its request and you can tell whether a sync is completed but not necessarily which files have been copied so far.

I hope this is helpful. Please let us know if you have other questions.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

I installed the app on my Nook tablet and it works very well. But I was wondering why my pictures do not have a thumbnail. When they are transferred they are given a generic name so I don’t know which pic is which unless I tap on it. And I can’t scroll through them ….. am I doing something wrong?

Hi, Billie!

I’m sorry you’re having trouble with pictures on the NOOK Tablet. Drop2sync does two things when it copies a picture to the NOOK Tablet:
1) It copies the file from your Dropbox or Box account. (Drop2sync doesn’t change the name.)
2) It notifies the media manager software on the NOOK that a new picture has been added.

When all it working properly, the NOOK’s media manager will create the proper thumbnail image and let you scroll through the pictures.

My guess is that something’s a little gummed up in the NOOK software. I recommend shutting the NOOK Tablet down and restarting it. Hopefully it’s just a one-time problem, though I understand there are a few rough edges in the NOOK Tablet software. I am hopeful that B&N will update it with some fixes in the near future.

If you continue to have trouble, please let me know. what you describe isn’t how it’s supposed to work.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

I’m having trouble getting my drop2sync to put the files onto my removable memory card. The card works in that I know I can sideload files onto but when I used drop2sync, with the memory card selected in the advanced sync settings, I get an error message, telling me that the file did not sync. And there’s no sign of it on my Nook. When I change it to “internal memory” it shows up on my Nook, but I don’t want to load everything onto the internal memory. What do you think the problem is? The file I tried was a photo.

Hi, Angela!

Sorry you’re having trouble. If you can get me the wording of the error message, we can figure what’s going on. To do that, tap “View Log” after you attempt a sync with the storage set to the removable memory card.

If the wording isn’t enough to diagnose the problem, I’ll get you the process for sending me the log by email.

Would you please email it to our customer support address at support@WhitneyApps.com?

Thanks,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

Wow! You are fast in replying! Actually, in the meantime, I started to look at it more again. I kept seeing the error message referring to one particular photo. . . and I deleted that photo from the dropbox folder on my computer. I think the error message was “. . . has no sync record in the database-not copying” and the info message was saying that it was finding the same name as a file it wanted to compy from the cloud service. I finally took this to mean that I already had the photo on my Nook.. . . which it may have been, through dragging and dropping earlier. So I tried again with another document that I was certain I’d never put on the Nook before, set the folder to “removal memory”, and it worked perfectly!

Thanks for your help! I’ll be sure to leave some feedback on the B&N website for you!

Thanks, Angela! (You caught me at the right time. 🙂

You figured it out. Drop2sync is very careful not to overwrite the files that are already on the NOOK unless it copied them there in the first place. (This would be bad if you had a couple of documents with the same name, like report.doc.) I’ll take a look at making the error message clearer in the next rev.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

I just bought the app and the set up was easy and I was able to download several books. The books are showing in library/my stuff/my files/ (without book covers) but if I go to library then books, my books are not visible there. I have hit refresh numerous times and still nothing. Is there a trick to get them to show up there? I did find that if I completely shut down and reboot, they show up in library/books with the appropriate book cover but I will not be very happy if I have to reboot everytime I add a book for them to show up. Please help. Thanks.

Hi, Debe!

Thanks for writing.

You’re right. This is annoying, and you’re not the first to ask about it. Unfortunately, the NOOK does not yet support the Android method of notifying the system of new files. The NOOK designers assumed that there could only be new books on the reader if you purchased them in the B&N store or if you connected a cable to a computer. It only adds new books to the Books part of the library when you shut down or when you connect to a computer and disconnect again.

Strangely, they do support adding pictures and music to the gallery and media player.

What I do is access my books through the “My Stuff” area and then add them to my home screen from there.

I’m still hopeful that this will eventually be fixed – especially now that there are apps like drop2sync that help you move documents to the NOOK.

Sorry I don’t have better news. Please let me know if I can help provide further help or information.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

Debe,

I’ve filed a ticket with Barnes & Noble asking for a way to do this. You’re not the first to ask for it, and the way things currently stand is not intuitive. I’ll post when I have a resolution.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

I purchased drop2sync today in an attempt to solve the issue I have with Dropbox – that I cannot actually add my own files to my library, my only options are to read, clear default launcher, or delete, for titles Dropbox has stored on my SD card. After syncing drop2sync, I have the exact same issue with the files – I cannot add them to shelves, or to my library, and have to go exploring manually through the directories.

I’m likely going to return the Nook Tablet at this point!

Hi David,

I hope you haven’t returned the NOOK Tablet yet. I have a trick to share with you. When the NOOK was designed, there was no way to wirelessly load content onto the device. It only looks for new content when you either 1) plug it into a computer with the USB cable or 2) power the unit down and restart it. My recommendation would be to hold the power button until the NOOK asks you if you want to power it down. Let it power down. Then start it back up. Your downloaded content should then be recognized and appear in your library.

Give it a shot and let me know how it goes.

Take care,

Steve @ WhitneyApps

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