error starting Zotero

lulando

Since the last three updates (including the last one) my Zotero won't start on Fifefox (rc, final) and neither on Flock. There used to be no reaction whatsoever and now I get the really instructive message "There was an error starting Zotero".

As much of my research is within your splendid extension is there any chance of getting in productive touch with my data again?


I have disabled all extension safe Zotero (default theme, ff3) and find in the error console after restart...

Warning: Key event not available on some keyboard layouts: key="z" modifiers="accel alt"
Source File: chrome://browser/content/browser.xul
Line: 0

Warning: Key event not available on some keyboard layouts: key="z" modifiers="accel alt"
Source File: chrome://browser/content/browser.xul
Line: 0

Error: uncaught exception: script.aculo.us requires the Prototype JavaScript framework >= 1.4.0

Warning: Expected ',' or '{' but found ';'. Ruleset ignored due to bad selector.
Source File: http://www.zotero.org/wp-content/themes/working/style.css
Line: 88

Warning: Expected ',' or '{' but found ';'. Ruleset ignored due to bad selector.
Source File: http://www.zotero.org/wp-content/themes/working/style.css
Line: 88

Error: Zotero is undefined
Source File: chrome://zotero/content/itemPane.js
Line: 51

Error: uncaught exception: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80570016 (NS_ERROR_XPC_GS_RETURNED_FAILURE) [nsIJSCID.getService]" nsresult: "0x80570016 (NS_ERROR_XPC_GS_RETURNED_FAILURE)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero/content/include.js :: :: line 4" data: no]

Error: Zotero is undefined
Source File: chrome://zotero/content/overlay.xul
Line: 421

Error: Zotero is undefined
Source File: chrome://zotero/content/browser.js
Line: 758

Error: uncaught exception: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80570016 (NS_ERROR_XPC_GS_RETURNED_FAILURE) [nsIJSCID.getService]" nsresult: "0x80570016 (NS_ERROR_XPC_GS_RETURNED_FAILURE)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero/content/include.js :: :: line 4" data: no]

dstillman

Try closing Firefox and deleting (or moving) the files compreg.dat and xpti.dat from your Firefox profile. They're cache files that'll be recreated on the next start. See if that fixes the error (or at least gives you a different error message).

If that doesn't work, try deleting those files again along with extensions.ini, extensions.cache, and extensions.rdf.

lulando

@Dan

Thanks a lot! It did not work exactly - but combined with your advice found here and my following of your instructions step by step at first succeeded in nothing but getting the same error message again.

I couldn't open Zotero in any way and here is what I did:

[] reset the pref extensions.zotero.useDataDir to "false"
[] restart ff
[] deleting successively the mentioned files with the due restarts of ff
[] Zotero error message
[] open the Zotero option
[] custum directory is populated with "false". I cannot edit the value nor navigate to my directory, but I can change the place to "default profile folder".
[] restart ff
[] open zotero option, navigate to my 'custom folder'
[] restart ff

And here I am now. Smiling. Happy.

Very thankful :D

Grrreat Extension, you made!!