FF3.6,multiple large docx, Zotero migration with thousands of references

akinto2
All of my document have been written in Word 2007 on multiple computers and synced using Windows Live Sync, as recommended by Zotero.
I am a late stage PhD student with some troubles.

Almost hourly, Firefox is demanding that I upgrade to 3.6. But I can’t use Zotero 1.X on FF3.6. So I would have to upgrade. But I can’t port all of my documents into 2.0.

“Documents used with the Zotero 1.0 plugins must be upgraded to work with Zotero 2.0 on the same computer on which they were previously used. If you upgrade them on a different, synced computer, you may end up with mismatched citations.”

I also read on the forums that you cannot easily move a document from 1.x to 2.0.

Any advice? Any links that make this feasible?
  • WA
    I Firefox downloaded, against explicit settings in "Tools | Advanced | Update", and then install automatically this morning, disabling Zotero.

    If I were in your shoes, I would go to "Tools | Advanced | Update" and uncheck everything under "Automatically Check for Updates To". Don't let Firefox do anything until your problem is resolved.
    Firefox
    Add-Ons
    Search Engines
  • vogeltje
    What you could try to do is use friend's computer for testing purposes? So install ff3.6 and zot2.0 and try several docs used for your thesis: export your zot1.0 library and import it in zot 2.0 in FF3.6. After that open some of your docs and try to refresh your citations in those documents.

    But since you are a late stage PhD student I would not take too many chances and stick with Zot1.0 for the time being. After that, upgrade to 2.0 when you are a post-doc ;)
  • WA
    One additional thing: Back up everything under "Zotero Storage" immediately/
  • akinto2
    My Zotero 1.x db is on 4 computers simultaneously because of the Windows Live Sync setup.

    I am not too worried about it disappearing. I am really worried about corrupting it.

    I hope that the Zotero developers have a recommended way to do this that will allow me to port docx documents into Zotero 2.0 and continue to develop them.
  • adamsmith
    edited March 16, 2010
    WA - you had a bad experience, I understand you're annoyed but your alarmism is a bit unwarranted - and it won't help if you freak out other users - contrary to what you said FF doesn't actually just do stuff without asking you so something else went wrong in your case- I'm still happily trucking along on 3.5.8

    @akinto: My understanding is that what matter is the last computer you used a document - so here's what I'd recommend: back up everything. Then, on one computer open up all relevant documents, click the Zotero plugin to refresh and save them. Then, upgrade FF and Zotero on that computer. Next open the documents one by one to upgrade them. That should do it.

    Also - if you actually used Windows live sync the problem as described above might not apply - that's related to Zotero syncing - live sync actually acts as if your computers _are_ the same so all of this caution might not be necessary in the first place. But better safe then sorry with a dissertation, of course.
  • dstillman
    Refreshing them with the 1.0 plugin isn't necessary. What matters is that you refresh and resave them with the 2.0 plugin on the same computer (or, more accurately, a computer with the same Zotero database) on which you last used them with the 1.0 plugin and then you use that database as the source for Zotero 2.0 syncing.

    But yes, if you're syncing the actual database file across computers it's all the same database.
    export your zot1.0 library and import it in zot 2.0 in FF3.6. After that open some of your docs and try to refresh your citations in those documents.
    Don't do this, because if you use export and import (as opposed to transferring a library) you certainly won't be able to access the citations.
  • akinto2
    I think Dan is saying I don't need to resave every document in which there are Zotero codes embedded. That's hundreds.

    Can I do this when I need to use them? Or do need to find all of them and resave sooner rather than later?

    Anybody want to say what order this process should be in?

    The puzzle pieces are: FF, Zotero plugin, Zotero sqlite data, and the gazillion docx.

    Thanks!
  • dstillman
    You need to refresh only before trying to work with the file on another computer you've synced via Zotero 2.0.
  • akinto2
    Do I
    1. Back up all my sqlite files where they can't be synced?
    2. Install FF3.6
    3. Install Zotero 2.0
    4. Import my sqlite DB into Zotero 2.0
    5. Install MSWord plug in for Zotero 2.0
    6. Open a MSWord document that was saved in a previously undisclosed location
    7. Refresh it in a Zotero 2.0 environment.
    8. Save it.
    9. Upgrade other computers with FF3.6 and Zotero 2.0
    10. Reestablish syncing among computers.
    11. Test a MSWord dummy document in each location.


    A simple day long process!

    Is that about right?
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