Database backup failed [fixed]

MikeT

This discussion was created from comments split from: 1Password won't open on Firefox.

benfdc

OK, I solved the Firefox problem with the help of this thread, but now I get error messages from 1Password whenever I start up the app in my user account on my wife's Mac. Somehow changing the master password seems to have caused a problem in the Dropbox sync. Any suggestions?

khad

Can you provide some more details of the problem? I'd be happy to help if you can share some of the specifics. Where is the error (main app, extension)? What is the error message?

benfdc

The message, which appeared in an alert window, was:

==========

Database backup failed.

The 1Password database could not be backed up.
Database exists but is invalid. One or more keys files
may be missing.

==========

I figured out the problem. I used to keep my keychain in ~/Dropbox/1PasswordSync/ but when I rebuilt it I put it in ~/Dropbox/ .
The 1Password app on my wife's Mac was still trying to use the old keychain. So I told it to stop using Dropbox, then located the instructions for starting fresh with a new keychain on the website.

I got a wee bit crossed up because I never got the "Welcome to 1Password" window, but was simply presented with an image of a locked vault. It took me a while to realize that 1Password had simply ASSUMED that I wanted to use the keychain that it had found in ~/Dropbox. While this was indeed the result that I sought, I consider this behavior to be wrong, and not only because it is not documented on the help page. IMO the user should be ASKED whether he/she wishes to use the keychain that the program locates in the Dropbox.

I ran into my second problem when I fired up Chrome—my keychain would not open. I solved that one by uninstalling and then reinstalling the browser extension, and then activating 1PasswordHelper. I haven't tried the other browsers yet, but I expect that I may run into similar difficulties.

My main conclusion here is that the "Fresh Start" instructions need to be improved. For one thing, they instruct the user to move to the Desktop what, in my case, turned out to be the ~/Library/Containers/com.agilebits.onepassword-osx folder, but do not mention the ~/Library/Containers/com.agilebits.onepassword-osx-helper folder. I figured I should move that one to the desktop too, and I did so, and it seemed to work, but the user shouldn't be forced to guess. For another, the "Fresh Start" instructions should either include guidance on troubleshooting the browser extensions or else point the user to another help page that covers the issue. For a third, the help page should discuss the issues that a user who syncs his keychain to several devices via Dropbox should expect to encounter when starting fresh, or else flag them and link to another help page.

My other conclusion is that this process is too hard. Why can't there just be a "Reset keychain" or "Start Fresh" button in the General or the Advanced preference pane, or put the command in the File menu? Even If AgileBits isn't prepared just yet to automate the process, or all y'all believe that automating the process would be a bad idea, put the button there anyway and have it take the user to the relevant Help page. The status quo, which is that a user first fruitlessly searches the menus and preference panes and then either gives up, begins hunting on the website, or sets off for the forums, stinks.

My 2¢.

—Ben F

MikeT

Hi Ben,

I split your posts from the other thread into your own thread here, so we can give you direct answers.

I'm sorry about the frustrations you experienced.

I have a few questions; you didn't want your wife to use your data file and were trying to create a separate 1Password data file for her? If yes, are you and your wife sharing the same Dropbox folder?

Also, the ~Library/Containers folder you mentioned is not related to Dropbox, it's just the default sandboxed container that 1Password uses when you don't want to use Dropbox. I'm not sure why you saw this at all.

One thing that do pop up in my head is that if you try to save the data file in a separate folder in Dropbox beside ~/Dropbox and ~/Dropbox/1Password, then that makes sense. We're restricted to those folders due to the sandboxing, any other folders forces the app to move back to the container folder because that's the only location it can write to. This will be changed in the upcoming 1Password 4 for OS X update that'll have a different first run experience.