Posted onDecember 14, 2019 (Revised January 7, 2023)
Whenever you fire up Dropbox (or it starts automatically at login), you will soon notice three Dropbox.exe processes running on your PC. Though unusual, that is completely normal behavior. It’s just how Dropbox works.
Or better yet, if you really want to understand what is going on, turn to Microsoft’s excellent Process Explorer. Its helpful tree panel will reveal the hierarchical relationship between the Dropbox processes — one parent and two children:
But why are 3 copies of Dropbox started? Isn’t one enough to synchronize all the files and folders that the software is managing?
And why is one using significant CPU and memory while the other two remain small and idle?
Fortunately the command line parameters for each instance of Dropbox reveal what is going on…
#1 is the “Main” Dropbox process
With the help of Process Explorer, we can see that the main/parent executable runs with a single parameter: /home:
That is consistent with the desktop shortcut to start Dropbox, which specifies the same parameter:
So that’s the one we started.
Digging in a little deeper, we saw this process consistently using a small bit of CPU (1-10%) and a fair chunk of memory (200+ MB).
Furthermore, we noticed that the CPU and memory would jump whenever we placed a new file in the Dropbox folder.
Our conclusion? This parent process is responsible for Dropbox’s primary activity: copying your files to and from the cloud.
#2 is the “Crashpad Handler”
The second process has a massive command line — over 3600 characters!
Most of the command line is meaningless without a technical understanding of the arguments, but the first parameter stands out: -type:crashpad-handler:
This “crashpad handler” consumes a mere 2 MB of RAM — infinitesimal, by today’s standards. What is its purpose?
Our research suggests that the process implements Crashpad — a crash reporting system developed by Google.
Crashpad is a library for capturing, storing and transmitting postmortem crash reports from a client to an upstream collection server. Crashpad aims to make it possible for clients to capture process state at the time of crash with the best possible fidelity and coverage, with the minimum of fuss.
So it is very likely that when the main Dropbox process crashes or runs into trouble, the “crashpad handler” will jump in to collect information and beam it back to Dropbox headquarters for subsequent analysis.
#3 is the “Exit Monitor”
The third process has a command line just shy of 400 characters in length. Its “type” is exit-monitor:
As the type suggests, exit monitor’s job is to watch the main Dropbox process and restart it if it fails. Its purpose is to make sure that Dropbox is always running on your machine — even in the face of crashes and other failures.
To sum up
Having three Dropbox.exe processes is completely normal. Dropbox performs your file synchronization in one executable but the other two are there to support the robust operation of the software. It’s all good!
We own a license of both AlwaysUp and Service Protector. It seems like AlwaysUp is able to do more (larger feature set) however the pricing is less then Service Protector. We are setting up new servers and need to transfer one of these programs over and I’m having a hard time deciding which to install on our new servers.
— Stephen
Hi Stephen. Thanks for being a customer, and for getting in touch!
You are right — AlwaysUp and Service Protector have quite a lot in common.
Both are focused on 24x7x365 operation, to ensure that your mission-critical software is always available. And both employ advanced features like CPU & memory monitoring, email alerts, and customized failure detection to strive for 100% uptime.
However AlwaysUp and Service Protector are different in one fundamental way:
Service Protector works with existing Windows Services
AlwaysUp enhances regular, desktop applications
So the choice of which one to use comes down to the software you want to run 24/7.
For example, let’s say that you want to ensure that your Apache web server is always serving customers. Since Apache is packaged and delivered as a Windows Service, you would use Service Protector.
On the other hand, if you want to make sure that the Dropbox file synchronization software is always backing up your files, you would need AlwaysUp because Dropbox is not already a Windows Service.
How do I know if my application is a Windows Service or a regular application?
You have a couple of options.
First, you can check the application’s documentation. The publisher will probably mention if the application is designed to run “headless” as a Windows Service.
Second, if the documentation is unavailable, you can install the application and see where it lands. A Windows Service will be listed in the Services Control Panel application.
Start the Services app by typing services.msc from the Start button. You can also find it by searching for “services” in Control Panel:
Look for your application in the list. Be sure to scroll through and read the descriptions — sometimes the short names lack detail:
If your application is listed in Services, go with Service Protector.
Otherwise, you have a regular desktop application and you should choose AlwaysUp.
In either case, please take advantage of the free 30-day trial to make sure that our software will solve your problem and work exactly as you expect!
I’ve installed AlwaysUp Web Service on a VPS running Windows Server 2012 R2. Is there any way to check the status of my services? I tried but was unable to connect. Please advise.
— Sebastian
Hi Sebastian. Thank you for trying our software!
Yes, AlwaysUp Web Service is designed specifically to check on your AlwaysUp Windows Services. You can see the status of each service visually in your browser or probe programmatically with the HTTP/HTTPS API.
But it seems that you are having trouble connecting to the service. Let’s walk through a few things to try:
Can you connect locally?
Please try connecting from a browser on the machine where you installed AlwaysUp Web Service.
From there, these URLs should take you to the login page:
If neither of those URLs load, perhaps the port number has been changed from the default (8585) or you are using HTTPS instead of HTTP.
Launch the AlwaysUp Web Service Control Panel application (available from an icon on your desktop, or at C:\Program Files (x86)\AlwaysUpWebService\ControlPanel.exe) and verify your settings:
If applicable, update the URLs above and try again.
Please get in touch if you are not able to connect using a local URL. Something very strange is going on and our support team should probably take a deeper look.
Can you connect from another computer?
Next, please try to access the web service from a different computer. Browse to this URL:
http://[IP-Address]:8585
where [IP-Address] is the IP address of the computer where you installed AlwaysUp Web Service.
If you fail to connect with the IP address, please replace the IP address with the machine’s host name and trying again.
Do you see a timeout error?
It looks like this on Firefox:
And like this on Chrome:
If you’re experiencing a timeout, the Windows Firewall is the likely culprit.
Ensure that Windows Firewall isn’t blocking AlwaysUp Web Service
The Windows Firewall (also known as Windows Defender Firewall on the newest releases of Windows) blocks access into your computer, to prevent malicious activity. By default, all applications (and ports) are blocked. An application must be “allowed through the firewall” to accept connections from the outside world.
To enable AlwaysUp Web Service to accept and respond to remote browsers:
Open Windows Control Panel and search for firewall. Click the Allow an app through Windows Firewall link:
Below the list of allowed applications and features, click the Allow another app button:
In the Add an app window, click the Browse button and select the AlwaysUp Web Service executable. You will likely find it here:
We’re huge fans of Backup and Sync — Google’s free Windows utility that continuously synchronizes our PC’s files with drive.google.com.
But lately, the software has been getting in the way on our development machines.
Specifically:
Backup and Sync can consume significant resources
For example, we’ve noticed CPU spikes when several documents are changed simultaneously and uploaded to the cloud.
Backup and Sync causes desktop programs (like Microsoft Word and Excel) to occasionally fail to save their files
In its zeal to immediately process any changes, Backup and Sync can lock files and interfere with the normal saving to disk. Warnings like this (from ToDoList) are all too common:
Backup and Sync will show excessive “remove item” confirmations when a file is deleted
Fortunately these notifications are easily disabled via Preferences but the setting is all or nothing. Ideally, we would like to omit confirmations on active development folders but that is not possible.
None of these is a major headache, but little day-to-day annoyances add up. What to do?
Eventually a key realization dawned on us…
We don’t need real-time file synchronization
Backup and Sync’s mission is to keep your files synchronized. As soon as a document is changed, it is copied up to the cloud.
Though a live copy is ideal, it is not essential for our situation. We will be satisfied with a periodic backup — a recent copy of key files in case of a catastrophe. Heck, a single snapshot every 24 hours would meet our modest needs.
With that understanding, our first adjustment was manual. We would simply exit Backup and Sync at the start of the work day and restart it when we were done for the evening. Doing so eliminated the daily annoyances, and gave Backup and Sync the whole night to catch up.
But some evenings we would forget to restart Backup and Sync, leaving our files unprotected. It was time for a robust, automated solution…
How to run Backup and Sync off-hours as a Windows Service
Step 1: Install Backup and Sync as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp
This first step will enable backups to run in the background — even when you’re not logged in to your computer.
Follow our step-by-step guide and you should be up and running in 10 minutes or less:
Step 2: Create a Scheduled Task to stop Backup and Sync every morning at 9 AM
Start Task Scheduler. This is best done by running taskschd.msc from a command prompt, or by opening the Control Panel, searching for “schedule” and clicking the Schedule tasks link:
Once the Task Scheduler window comes up, click Create Basic Task on the right:
In the Create Basic Task Wizard window, enter a suitable name for the task. We suggest “Stop Google Backup Service at 9 AM Daily”. Click Next when you are done.
We want to run daily, so make sure that option is selected and move on:
Next, enter 9 AM in the Start controls:
Running this command will stop the Backup and Sync Windows Service created by AlwaysUp:
NET.EXE STOP "Googledrivesync (managed by AlwaysUpService)"
Enter that command on this screen, placing NET.EXE in the Program/script field and the rest in the Add arguments section:
Don’t forget the quotes!
The next screen summarizes the task we’ve created. There is still a bit of work to do so check the Open the properties dialog box before clicking the Finish button:
And finally, in the Properties window, ensure that the task will (1) run even if no one is logged on and (2) will run with highest privileges:
Click OK to finalize your new scheduled task.
Step 3: Create a Scheduled Task to start Backup and Sync every evening at 7 PM
To create the second task that restarts Backup and Sync in the evening, simply repeat the process you followed in Step 2 with the following adjustments:
Enter 7 PM instead of 9 AM
Replace STOP with START when entering the program to run:
NET.EXE START "Googledrivesync (managed by AlwaysUpService)"
Less timely backups, but less interruptions too
With these changes in place, our Backup and Sync only runs “off hours”. While our files aren’t synchronized with the cloud during the work day, the annoying interruptions have been eliminated. It has been a reasonable trade-off for our team.
Like you, the majority of our work day is spent in front of a computer.
Indeed, most of the time you will find us wrestling with popular Windows applications — like Microsoft Word, Google Chrome and Acrobat Reader. But there are a few lesser-known programs that we have grown to depend on as well.
Here are three of the best free tools we use all the time — and can heartily recommend:
1. FileMenu Tools: Turbocharge your right-click menu with common file operations
Many of our daily tasks revolve around files. We’re constantly opening documents, copying images and composing command lines that require file paths.
For those operations, Lopesoft’s FileMenu Tools has been a godsend.
This Windows Explorer extension includes over 35 file operations that you can add to Explorer’s right-click menu:
Our favorites include:
Copy Path: Copies the full path to the selected file(s) into the Windows clipboard. Saves time when we have to open the file in another application or add it to a command line. Just paste and go!
Command Line From Here: Launches the command prompt window, already set to the current folder. Much faster than running CMD and CD’ing.
Open with Notepad: Automatically send a file to Notepad, instead of having to start Notepad, click File > Open and browse to the file.
FileMenu Tools is integrated with Windows File Explorer and is very easy to use. Here you can see us copying the full path of the Dropbox executable (C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client\Dropbox.exe) to the Windows clipboard — with just a couple of clicks:
We use the free version of FileMenu Tools but you can purchase the full package to unlock advanced features.
2. AbstractSpoon ToDoList: Increase productivity by tracking & organizing important tasks
For our day-to-day planning — and to make sure that we don’t forget our brilliant but ambitious ideas — we turn to AbstractSpoon’s ToDoList.
This attractive Windows application uses a time-tested tree structure to organize your body of work. You start with one or more top level goals and break them down into actionable steps.
Each step/task can have over 20 properties that provide relevant context, including “priority”, “due date”, “percent complete” and “cost”.
ToDoList helps us keep track of:
Topics for upcoming blog articles
What to put in each new release (and when to make it available)
Standard email templates, that we can copy & paste into Gmail
Useful but difficult-to-remember commands for managing our UNIX servers
And much more!
And to top it off, ToDoList is actively maintained by a passionate and engaged developer. You will not be disappointed by his responsiveness and attention to detail.
3. Pure Text: Easily paste simple text from the clipboard
I really hate it when I copy text from one application, paste it into another and it comes over with all its formatting. Most times I just want the simple text — with zero decoration.
To get my desired result, I would perform the following dance:
Start Notepad
Paste into Notepad (to produce plain text)
Select all the text
Copy the text
Paste the plain text into my target application
Easy to do but definitely a waste of time.
Enter PureText, a ridiculously simple program that strips all formatting from the clipboard so that we can paste plain text in a single keystroke. What a lifesaver!
PureText runs as an icon in the task tray area. You assign it a “hotkey” and whenever that key is pressed, it will paste plain text. Here you can see that we have assigned Ctrl-Shift-V (which is close to Ctrl-V, the key combination that performs a “regular” paste):
Once you have installed PureText, it will be difficult to use a computer without it. It’s one of the first apps we install on a new PC.
So those are three Windows utilities that make a difference in our day-to-day. Download, install and enjoy!
What free applications do you recommend?
We would love to hear your advice and opinions! Please let us know in the comments section.
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