AutoCAD 2013/2014 DWG Format

[#1]

My office uses Dropbox as a server for all of our working files. I can create and work with CAD files (using many x-refs) without a problem. The problem that I have occurs whenever someone else in the office tries to use the CAD file that I created with x-refs OR whenever I use a different computer station (still logged in as myself)...the X-refs are always missing (detached).  I can reattach them but this defeats the purpose of using the X-ref. Can someone that understands how Dropbox works help me out PLEASE!!????

[#2]

What type of XREF saved path method do you use? Full (always problematic if there is a the slightest drive/location change), Relative (fewer problems), or None (no problems)?

[#3]

We have been using the default method when attaching files (I would assume that this is the 'full' method). I had originally thought that the issue was the path for the x-refs...because CAD would need to access Dropbox to get the attached files. Is there a simple way to change the path for the x-ref? Bill Solms

[#4]

There is a stand-alone program that gets installed along with AutoCAD called Reference Manager. This program will allow you to manage the paths for xrefs in multiple drawings at once.

[#5]

Dropbox will ask you at installation stage where you want it to reside on your hard drive, this usually defaults to C:\Users\YOURNAMEHERE\Dropbox unless stated otherwise via browsing for a custom location during installation.

When you make a full path-name XREF from this location it will be e.g: C:\Users\YOURNAMEHERE\Dropbox\WHATEVERFOLDERNAME\DrawingName.dwg

Whereas when you browse from a different location, even logged in as yourself, this link will be broken.

Here is why: Dropbox is not installed "For all users", only the user who initially installed the program.

If there was an option to install "For all users" it probably still would not work correctly because C:\Users would need to contain each and every Users folder that would ever be logged in in the future. Install "For all users" would never work for an application like Dropbox, trying to sync multiple User account folders would be a Windows local security policy rats-nest.

Long story short: Uninstall Dropbox and reinstall it so it makes its 'Dropbox' folder at C:\Dropbox

That should work, as long as all users have their Dropbox installed at C:\Dropbox (Not D:\Dropbox Etc...)