Just made a post in the Dropbox forums:
I also just posted the following over in the Dropbox forum (in the thread mentioned above):
[quote]I am having the same problem. It has meant that I can no longer use either of my file managers when Dropbox is syncing or after any changes were made to files inside my Dropbox folder. But I keep ALL my files in Dropbox! If I make ANY changes (copy files, delete files, rename files), my file managers freeze and show "Not Responding". I can't work like this.
The only way to solve the problem is to completely disable all Dropbox's icon overlays, which is obviously not a solution.
See:
XYplorer + Dropbox problem:
xyplorer.com/xyfc/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=5573
DirectoryOpus + Dropbox problem:
I really hope that someone fixes this soon, either at Dropbox or at XYplorer/DirectoryOpus[/quote]
Note that I am getting the same problem in both DirectoryOpus and XYplorer.
PS: where can I get my hands on a copy of DirectoryOpus that 
does work, to use until someone fixes this? I have a licence for 11, but would gladly go back to 10 if I could use Dropbox again. I am a very heavy Dropbox user (1TB Dropbox folder and a fibre internet connection) and need to see those overlays.
I switched to XYplorer because of this issue. For some reason, I don't see this issue within XYplorer.
Hi aaron,
That's interesting. Yes, it seems not everyone has the problem in XYplorer (I've asked around in the XYplorer forums). What version of XYplorer are you using? And are you on Win7? Win8? Win XP? Also: 32-bit or 64-bit?
This is driving me crazy. I have a lifetime licence for XYplorer, and a licence for DirectoryOpus 11, and yet am constantly on the lookout for yet another file manager, which I can actually use with Dropbox.
PS: Have you had to switch off icon overlays in XYplorer? (@ Tools > Configuration > General > Refresh, Icons, History > Icons > (×) Show icon overlays)
I was also wondering if it would help to install the 32-bit version of DirectoryOpus, instead of the 64-bit version (which is the one I have currently).
I tried both, but neither worked. I wish I could stay with Opus but I need Dropbox to function.
Also, I live without the Dropbox icon overlays within XYplorer. That might be the reason why it works for me.
When I tried to disable them within Opus, there were other issues as well that I could not work with. For example, I needed the right click menu in order to share files with third parties.
I wish this would be fixed.
PS: I just tried Opus 10, and have the same problem. It is also totally unusable with Dropbox doing anything.
Wow, pretty terrible, but I installed Directory Opus 9 64-bit, and guess what, it finally works with Dropbox. I will have a rummage to see if I still have a licence for 9 and try using that one for a while.
XYplorer is great, but I really like those icon overlays.
Interesting.
Just sent this to DO support:
[quote]Hello!
I was wondering whether I still had a valid license for version 9? I currently have a licence for 11, but cannot use it because it does not work with dropbox.
See:
dropboxforum.com/hc/communi ... ox-folders
If I don't have a valid licence for 9, can I trade my licence for 11 in for one for 9?
Michael[/quote]
Spoke too soon. 9 is also broken. Just tried to create a few new folders and rename something and spent most if my time staring at "(Not Responding)". Sc^%$£ this, I'm going back to XYplorer ... with overlays switched off until someone fixes this.
Has anyone reported this problem to Dropbox?
Since the problem is affecting multiple file managers, and multiple versions of those file managers going back several years, which didn't have problems before recent Dropbox updates, it's safe to assume the cause of the problem is in one of Dropbox's shell extensions (which have caused major problems in the past, too).
You can also use ShellExView to disable some or all of the Dropbox shell extensions, and the Preferences / Folders / Folder Display / Show generic icons for... option in Opus may help as well.
I did. They had me try a few different things but in the end, said that I should contact the makers of Opus.
Again, this does not happen within the Windows Explorer. It also does not cause a problem for me within XYplorer.
When I tried your suggestion to disable the shell extensions, it disabled too much. I need the right click menu for Dropbox but I can live without the icon overlays. If you have a solution for that, I am all ears.
I also reported it to Dropbox already. No reply yet.
The problem does not affect all file managers. Another one that works just fine and which shows me all of the green and blue icon overlays in real time is Free Commander (freecommander.com/en/summary/), which I am testing now.
Just checked and xplorer² also works flawlessly.
Windows 8 - Directory Opus 11.13 x64.
Registered just for this issue. For now I am pausing Dropbox when I need to modify directories and files... each time.... but I might need to stop using Dopus if this goes on.
The issue seems to be on Dropbox's side, since it has been reported to affect multiple programs, and since Opus is doing no more than calling the standard Windows API to request the icon and overlay for a file, and the rest is entirely up to Windows and the Dropbox shell extension.
It seems to affect different programs for different people, but it has been reported in multiple programs overall, so it does not seem like it can be something wrong with any particular program, even if there are more factors.
My guess is it comes down to the timing and threads that icon requests come from, which can vary between programs and setups, which would explain why some people see it in some programs and not others.
The only workarounds we can suggest are to disable the Dropbox icon shell extension (using ShellExView or similar), or to turn off Preferences / File Display Modes / Details / Display icons (which will remove all icons, of course).
If Dropbox are ignoring the issue I am not sure there is anything we can do on our side. People need to put pressure on them as we cannot really do anything here, and their shell extension, not Opus, is the common component in the issues people are seeing in multiple programs.
I'm also finding some folders folder listings loading very slowly since I put them below my Dropbox folder, but still near-instant in Windows File Explorer. I don't want to hide display icons. Before messing with the Dropbox shell extension, I want to try hiding the "Status" column in all listers below my Dropbox folder, just in case that works. However I have custom folder display options saved for various Dropbox subfolders. How can I disable the "Status" column for the Dropbox folder and all subfolders (or globally) without overwriting those custom folder display settings?
It usually comes from the "OneDrive" folder format (which is used for Cloud Storage generally; we'll be renaming it in the future). You can edit it under Preferences / Folders / Folder Formats.