Can't get zotero to recognize my files from backup hard drive

seberndt
I backed up Zotero files on my backup hard drive about six weeks ago. Now I am trying to use Zotero on a different computer. Downloaded Firefox and Zotero onto the new machine, copied the files from my backup hard drive into the Library folder on the new computer...but the new Zotero won't recognize them. It's completely empty.

Any ideas?
Thanks.
  • dstillman
    Need a bit more info on what exactly you're copying and where you're copying it to...
  • seberndt
    I copied the entire "zotero" folder from here:
    /Users/<username>/Library/Application Support/Firefox/Profiles/<randomstring>/zotero

    ...onto my backup hard drive. Then I copied that folder into the same place on the new computer.

    The funny thing is, when I go into the "files" folder in the "zotero" folder, I can actually see a bunch of the PDFs that I had stored in zotero. (Not all of them, I don't think, but quite a few.) But the new Zotero doesn't see anything.

    Thanks for your quick response. Sorry I wasn't more specific earlier.
  • dstillman
    1) Be sure you're copying the backed up 'zotero' folder directly into the new profile folder—not within another 'zotero' folder (which would exist if you had already started Zotero in the new profile).

    2) I assume by "'files' folder" you mean "'storage' folder".

    3) Is there a zotero.sqlite file in the backed up folder?

    4) Do you have the latest version of Zotero (1.0.0rc3) in the new profile?
  • seberndt
    1) I am almost positive that I did this. I don't remember deleting an empty/new zotero folder on the new machine, in any case. Actually, I think I had to do this, since for some reason Zotero/Firefox had not created a folder for Zotero in the Application Support folder.

    2) Yes, sorry to be confusing.

    3) Yes, there is one on my backup hard drive, but now that I think of it, I am not 100% positive that I copied that into the new profile. I might have just copied the storage file. There is also a zotero.sqlite.bak file in the backup hard drive.

    4) I have the absolute latest version, just downloaded it from the Zotero website two days ago.

    Thanks
  • dstillman
    Yes, there is one on my backup hard drive, but now that I think of it, I am not 100% positive that I copied that into the new profile. I might have just copied the storage file.
    zotero.sqlite is the main Zotero database, so you would need to copy that to see any items.
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