Box Drive for Mac Still Not Working Properly With macOS Big Sur and M1 Macs

[techfreak23]

Sure, buy a new machine. OOPS, it is an M1 because Apple doesn’t make MacBook Airs with Intel anymore. Developers had access to machines for over half a year and got caught by surprise?

This is why we are migrating clients from Box back to Sharepoint.

You clearly didn’t read what I said. If you rely on your computer or specific software to run your business or school or whatever and you blindly purchase a new computer or software without checking for incompatibilities, you are an idiot that deserves to have issues.

 

[captain poopers]

You clearly didn’t read what I said. If you rely on your computer or specific software to run your business or school or whatever and you blindly purchase a new computer or software without checking for incompatibilities, you are an idiot that deserves to have issues.

I did read what you said and businesses add employees and need new computers. I would never order an Intel machine now, that technology is dead. Box and Google screwed the pooch on this and I hope it costs them clients.

 

[MadeTheSwitch]

I wonder how long it’s going to take for Apple to have a development platform that one can create an app and have it last for an extremely long time. Even some iOS apps become incompatible eventually. It would be better for developers if they didn’t have to rewrite their apps over time. With Apple silicon they have a chance to do that or to have it become worse due to forced obsolescence every third or fourth OS upgrade. It stinks giving up tools you liked every few years when Windows is able to keep them going.

It’s my biggest complaint about Apple, particularly on the mobile device side. It’s a catch 22 that Apple and the software industry as a whole puts users in. I have had some websites not even function right with older versions of ios, but upgrading to latest will break some other things. So you are damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. It’s so annoying. It would be nice if things could either just stay in place for awhile and not be some dramatic moving target constantly, OR if all developers would be on the ball and constantly update their technology just as much as Apple. Unfortunately neither of those things are the case and users are left caught in the middle holding the bag.

It shouldn’t be like this.

 

[amartinez1660]

I wonder how long it’s going to take for Apple to have a development platform that one can create an app and have it last for an extremely long time. Even some iOS apps become incompatible eventually. It would be better for developers if they didn’t have to rewrite their apps over time. With Apple silicon they have a chance to do that or to have it become worse due to forced obsolescence every third or fourth OS upgrade. It stinks giving up tools you liked every few years when Windows is able to keep them going.

True on the windows side because they do drag along a lot of compatibility and legacy options for running executables, however, on the Mac side the app will continue running and can have as many updates as wanted/needed if the OS version doesn’t change... which granted, is a bad pitch.

But I think I can’t really blame Apple for wanting to move forward with new features, new languages, better and faster development tools for things to work. They do a lot of work on libraries/APIs and the xKits which could potentially become stagnant if they stick to ancient OSes, the OS needs to change some underlying pieces to support the new nice, privacy/secure ready, shiny things... the developers have to do their share of the work (also a lot) if they want to keep up.

Also it seems that small devs react faster, Affinity Photo was M1 compatible quite soon after the macs launched... while Adobe Photoshop which arguably has potentially an army of devs, don’t know, is it now M1 ready? I didn’t follow it.

 

[Tech198]

Depending how how easy it would be to switch, wouldn't you? eg more users move over to Dropbox as a result?

frustration may see that easy enough. Unless there is a compelling reason hat other services just don't offer.

 

[chucker23n1]

Because Box Drive depends on MacFuse which is incompatible with the M1 platform. Google Drive File Stream uses the same underlying technology and it is broken as well.

Oof. Do they at least use this to their advantage? Are there unique features to it?

 

[Nermal]

If only there was a standardised interface for this sort of thing, so you could use the software of your choosing with the service of your choosing. In other words, the whole thing that the Internet was originally designed around...

 

[Mayhem SWE]

Google Drive is Big Sur compatible, I've been using it since Big Sur launched...and in beta.

While I suppose it (Google Drive File Stream) technically "works" in Big Sur, performance is unfortunately downright abysmal. Pretty much every action taken against Drive results in lengthy 100% CPU spikes and beachballs.

According to the release notes GDFS v45 should have some form of performance fixes for Big Sur but Google sure is taking their sweet time to roll it out. Also according to release notes it was supposedly released January 11th, but so far very few people have received the automatic update and there is no way to force it nor an available manual download (still only the old problematic v44).

Edit: Checked the release notes again. They have now revised the v45 release date to January 29th, so maybe it'll finally start rolling out in greater numbers. https://support.google.com/a/answer/7577057?hl=en

So close to downgrading to Catalina. Adobe's apps also feel much less responsive under Big Sur, though I don't know how much of that is due to the files worked on being stored on Google Drive. Only thing holding me back from downgrading is Apple's apps feeling more reliable and snappier, in particular Mail and Safari.

 

[chucker23n1]

If only there was a standardised interface for this sort of thing, so you could use the software of your choosing with the service of your choosing. In other words, the whole thing that the Internet was originally designed around...

I'm not sure what you mean by that. WebDAV?

 

[Nermal]

I'm not sure what you mean by that. WebDAV?

I see now that that came across as sarcasm. That wasn't my intention; I was grizzling about companies coming out with undocumented services that only work with closed-source clients.

 

[MacBH928]

As they say, Jobs said " You are a feature not a product..."

I dont get why you want to use Drop Box or Box. All big tech has it and probably integrated better. Whats their sales pitch?

 

[africanhorses]

The only thing worse than Box's incompetence in not having an M1 update ready is their appalling customer service in the wake of that mistake; their forums are full of frustrated users and Box's silence in response is deafening. It appears that Box has either forgotten how to retain users, or doesn't care. Very disappointing

 

[chucker23n1]

As they say, Jobs said " You are a feature not a product..."

I dont get why you want to use Drop Box or Box. All big tech has it and probably integrated better. Whats their sales pitch?

It's all about integrations.

If you already have Office 365, it's natural to use OneDrive, since it's included with the subscription. Same goes if you already use SharePoint; OneDrive and SharePoint share a backend now (so you can enhance the filesystem with more metadata).

If you already have Apple devices, iCloud Drive is the easiest to get into.

If you already have a lot of friends with Dropbox, you'll probably get Dropbox.

Box has its niche in the enterprise segment, so it mainly competes with OneDrive. It's like Slack vs. Teams.

 

[vbctv]

I would absolutely not run business services using Apple’s iCloud. It’s not designed for it and will fail you at some point.

I've been using iCloud for my business for 5 years. I have the 2TB plan. And folder sharing made it even easier last year when it arrived. Like I said for clients that don't have iCloud, we just upload the file to our OneDrive For Business and share it with them through there. But mostly everyone I work with has iCloud. I tried using OneDrive For Business as the everyday cloud but iCloud juts works better on Apple devices. I mean I've heard stories and people complain about losing files. Knock on wood it's never happened to me. And my business is in online TV so my files are very important and I trust iCloud more than any of the others. I've tried Dropbox, and it doesn't have the same great integration as iCloud.

 

[BigMcGuire]

As they say, Jobs said " You are a feature not a product..."

I dont get why you want to use Drop Box or Box. All big tech has it and probably integrated better. Whats their sales pitch?

I’ve never used it but everyone I know who does uses it because their business uses it. Only a few people I know do. Office 365 is definitely the most used.

 

[MacBH928]

It's all about integrations.

If you already have Office 365, it's natural to use OneDrive, since it's included with the subscription. Same goes if you already use SharePoint; OneDrive and SharePoint share a backend now (so you can enhance the filesystem with more metadata).

If you already have Apple devices, iCloud Drive is the easiest to get into.

If you already have a lot of friends with Dropbox, you'll probably get Dropbox.

Box has its niche in the enterprise segment, so it mainly competes with OneDrive. It's like Slack vs. Teams.

Dropbox is asking for $10 for 2TB storage. Microsoft is asking $10 for access to full MS suite + 1TB per user up to 6 users. Google offers $10 for 2TB but since I probably have a Google account might as well integrated that better with my email and youtube accounts and google docs.

I’ve never used it but everyone I know who does uses it because their business uses it. Only a few people I know do. Office 365 is definitely the most used.

Its basically based on intertia, I will use what my friends use. Don't get me wrong, I used both Dropbox and Box before and they work exactly as advertised and they are great what they do, except that all others have this as an added feature than a dedicated service.

Its a little bit like having a dedicate app for managing browser bookmarks, when every browser has a bookmark manager built in.

 

[mangasm]

I've been using iCloud for my business for 5 years. I have the 2TB plan. And folder sharing made it even easier last year when it arrived. Like I said for clients that don't have iCloud, we just upload the file to our OneDrive For Business and share it with them through there.

Ok but so you don't have a team of people who need to consistently access and modify shared files -- making each team member a 'work' apple ID for them to access shared folders via iCloud frankly sounds like a nightmare?

Anyone using Sync.com w/ an M1 or used CloudMounter effectively with Box and an M1?

Like someone else mentioned we got a new employee and don't see a reason to buy a new Intel, but they can only access our business Box via the webpage.. painful!

 

[sta1210]

Any suggestions on getting Box Drive on MacOs. I am running Catalina, everything was fine and then it simply disappeared and then the prompt to enable extensions. This is very frustrating as this is the framework that my university supports.

 

[captain poopers]

I've been using iCloud for my business for 5 years. I have the 2TB plan. And folder sharing made it even easier last year when it arrived. Like I said for clients that don't have iCloud, we just upload the file to our OneDrive For Business and share it with them through there. But mostly everyone I work with has iCloud. I tried using OneDrive For Business as the everyday cloud but iCloud juts works better on Apple devices. I mean I've heard stories and people complain about losing files. Knock on wood it's never happened to me. And my business is in online TV so my files are very important and I trust iCloud more than any of the others. I've tried Dropbox, and it doesn't have the same great integration as iCloud.

iCloud is a consumer level service with no SLA. We have tradtionally used Box for clients but with M1 this is becoming a problem. If you delete a file or folder in Box, I can restore it in seconds back to where it was. Even weeks later. I also have a signed BAA from Box for clients who need that level of security. iCloud doesn’t do that either.

We once were approached by a client, who were MDs and Lawyers who were storing HIPAA docs in iCloud. Talk about a disaster waiting to happen, but since Apple told them it was ok to use it, they didn’t want to listen to us that they were violating HIPAA. They did not elect to move forward with our services.

I know that iCloud is convenient but it’s not a business level solution and if something happens there’s not a lot of protection for you.

 

[captain poopers]

Any suggestions on getting Box Drive on MacOs. I am running Catalina, everything was fine and then it simply disappeared and then the prompt to enable extensions. This is very frustrating as this is the framework that my university supports.

Enable extensions. That’s how this works. Until it doesn’t.

 

[macminim1]

There is apparently a beta available now for enterprise customers: https://support.box.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500000564261-M1-support-for-Box-Drive-Private-Beta

 

[whiterebel]

I'm not getting the System extension error. My iMac just goes into full molasses mode as soon as I install Box drive. Slow startup, slow typing, spinning beachball, what looks like KPs, but it doesn't have the dialogue. Bin it, restart and everything back to normal. Worst software I've seen on Mac in a long time.

 

[mward333]

I'm trying to install Box Drive on my Mac Pro 2019 running Big Sur 11.2.3. I download it here:

Download Box Apps On All Devices - Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android

Download Box apps on all your devices: Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android, for seamless collaboration and security that satisfies even the most regulated industries.

www.box.com

https://e3.boxcdn.net/box-installers/desktop/releases/mac/Box.pkg

and the installation completes just fine, but I get this error when I try to open it:

"Box Drive's system extension failed to load. Please make sure it has been enabled in System Preferences > Security & Privacy and then restart your computer. If the problem persists, please contact Box Support to further troubleshoot the issue."

There is no message for approval in the System Preferences for Security & Privacy. I have the option checked to "Allow downloaded apps from: Anywhere"

I really need Box for my job. It has been challenging to get by without it for the last couple of months, since I moved to Big Sur. Any suggestions, please?

 

[jamesb959]

I find this utterly inexcusable. They knew about this issue and have known for almost 4 years now, and have done nothing about it. The supposed beta release that resolves this DOESN'T.
How can this take 4 years when you are "consistently updating the software"? It doesn't. Box just hasn't done the work.
DropBox has never lost functionality, even on MacOS betas.

It's one of two things; either they haven't done the work, or, they have inept developers. I highly doubt the later, so I would bet the former.

What's even more amusing, is that Box Drive/Sync now fails on Windows 11! Keeps reporting that it isn't connected to the internet and their support is useless.

 

[markvdd]

Hey guys, I made an account just to reply here. I recently did a clean install of Big Sur on my 15 inch mid-2015 Macbook Pro because I was experience terrible slowdown. The clean install fixed those problems but all of the sudden Box Drive wasn't working anymore. I got the same "Please enable the Box system extension in System preferences..." message like most people here are familiar with - see screenshot. I followed procedure, went into Security & Privacy and even though I did not find the "System software from developer "Box, Inc." was blocked from loading." message with the "allow" button next to it, I did find another option saying "Some system software requires your attention before it can be used. -> Details..." option - see screenshot. When I clicked on that and marked Box, Inc. and clicked okay I thought that was all what's needed to procede. Restarted my laptop and then: nothing changed. I still got the same "Please enable the Box system extension in System preferences..." message. Tried this over and over, with also uninstalling Box through Terminal everytime - I did everything the right way, to no avail. UNTIL.

I finally figured it out. When the "Please enable the Box system extension in System preferences..." message pops up and it actually gives you a shortcut to your System Preferences, what it doesn't tell you is that you need to close the installer before making any changes in Security & Privacy. Once I closed the installer before I checked the Box, Inc. box in Security & Privacy -> "Some system software requires your attention before it can be used. -> Details...", an actual message popped up saying "You need to restart the computer for these changes to take effect". I did not get that message before. Restarted the computer and YES FINALLY: Box Drive install could be completed I now have things running perfectly, like before.

Hopefully this will help a few people that have given up on trying. It seems like a logical thing to do, close the installer before telling your security settings that this particular program is safe - but as the message actually gives you a shortcut to the settings you just follow instructions and don't think about closing the installer - at least I didn't. I send my experience to Box and told them they should add the message ""CLOSE THIS INSTALLER BEFORE YOU MAKE ANY CHANGES IN PRIVACY & SECURITY" to their pop-up message. Hopefully they will take my advice