Install the Dropbox app on an operating system golden image
The information in this article applies to admins on Dropbox Standard, Business, Advanced, Business Plus, and Enterprise.
Administrators can build an operating system (OS) image with software and tools pre-loaded to use as a template or “golden image”. This image can be cloned to a group of workstations for rapid deployment.
Follow the steps in this article to avoid any unexpected issues when cloning an OS image with Dropbox installed.
How to prepare Dropbox on the golden image:
Before making an image of the OS, remove the user specific Dropbox files. This forces Dropbox to create unique keys and instance data for each user on the cloned machines.
- Download the Dropbox installer on the golden image.
- Follow the steps to install Dropbox, but don’t sign in when prompted.
- Click the Dropbox logo in the taskbar.
- Click your avatar (profile photo or initials) in the top right corner.
- Click Quit Dropbox.
- Open File Explorer.
- Copy and paste this path into the search bar: %LocalAppData%
- Delete the Dropbox folder from this location.
- Don’t run Dropbox again before the imaging or snapshot process. This recreates the Dropbox folder within LocalAppData.
- Open Command Prompt and run this command to start the Sysprep program: %SystemRoot%\System32\Sysprep
- In the dialogue box that pops up, make sure the Generalize option is checked. This removes system specific information like the UUID and the Windows Activation Key.
- In Sysprep, select Shutdown from Shutdown options.
- Click Okay.
- Create the golden image.
When a user starts the Dropbox app on a cloned machine, the Dropbox user directory is automatically recreated for that individual user.
Before making an image of the OS, remove the user specific Dropbox files. This forces Dropbox to create unique keys and instance data for each user on the cloned machines.
- Download the Dropbox installer on the golden image.
- Follow the steps to install Dropbox, but don’t sign in when prompted.
- Click the Dropbox logo in the menu bar.
- Click your avatar (profile photo or initials) in the top right corner.
- Click Quit Dropbox.
- Delete the “-/.dropbox” hidden folder from your home directory.
- Note: Don’t run Dropbox again before the imaging or snapshot process. This recreates the .dropbox folder.
- Remove any specific-system identifying information such as the UUID, static IP addresses, etc. to finalize the installation before cloning.
- Shut down the workstation and create the golden image.
When a user starts the Dropbox app on a cloned machine, the Dropbox user directory is automatically recreated for that individual user.
