I get Authentication is needed to run `/usr/bin/dropbox' as the super user

Question

in a system popup window on startup. Anyway to avoid this?

fwiw I authenticate ok with my pw.

I think this may have started after my recent upgrade from Ubuntu 12 -> 13

Answer 1

Find where your dropbox executable is using the following command:

which dropbox

This will show you the actual filepath of the dropbox executable file. In most cases, it will be /usr/bin/dropbox. Open it with your preferred editor:

sudo vi /usr/bin/dropbox

Find the following line and change

PARENT_DIR = os.path.expanduser("/var/lib/dropbox")

to

PARENT_DIR = os.path.expanduser("~") 

This will direct Dropbox to access your Home folder for the config files. Save and restart dropbox:

dropbox start -i

Further explanations

Answer 2

if it is showing problem after following upper commands then follow this.

1. Go to ubuntu software center, and install dropbox.
2. Now clicking on dropbox icon will keep asking for authentication. To resolve this, do following :
3. Go to terminal, and type which dropbox. This will give location of dropbox. Usually, it is /usr/bin/dropbox.
4. Now open that /usr/bin/dropbox file by typing sudo vim /usr/bin/dropbox. Search for line PARENT_DIR = os.path.expanduser("/var/lib/dropbox"), and replace that with PARENT_DIR = os.path.expanduser("~")
5. Now save the file by typing :wq and enter.
6. start dropbox by typing dropbox start -i
7. If you are behind proxy, and for some reason, can't download things from terminal, then previous command will give error, because it can't download a file www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64
8. Download that file manually from browser by typing www.dropbox.com/download?plat=lnx.x86_64 in address bar, and saving file.
9. Extract that file and move that to home directory.
10. Now run dropbox by typing dropbox start -i. It will start
11. If you are behind proxy, you have to set proxy settings by going into preferences, which comes by right clicking on dropbox icon created on top of desktop. Once you set proxy settings, it will enter into setup process. Note that, it may happen that during setup, it resets proxy and thus loses connection. Then you have to again set the proxy.

referencehttp://www.cse.iitd.ac.in/~mittal/dropbox.html