Firefox reinitialized, zotero library lost ?

Jujuxx5

Hello,

I started using Zotero in May on my laptop, I had to create an account with my gmail adress. I bought a new laptop in July, and installed Zotero, I believe with the same e-mail adress but it must have created a new account since I didn't find my database from the library of May. Anyway, I worked on this zotero. Later, I had to reinitialize Firefox because I had a spyware (my incredible bar something..) and I thought the zotero.sqlite file was saved from one version of Firefox to the new one, but when i go to my account, on the internet (after having re-installed zotero), I only found my database from May (before July, not my data from the new laptop) !

Coul you tell me how i can find my library "from July" again ?
I don't know how to read the zotero.sqlite file with sqlite browser, even if I downloaded it.

I 'd like to know if, when you create an account with the same e-mail adress when you install zotero on a new computer (two month after the first creation) it creates really a brain new account if the password is different ? Because maybe my library from "after May" is in another account with a different password but the same gmail adress ? I tried to search with my two other mail adresses to find another account, but no tracks.. I can't find my library again !
I thought the library was automatically saved on the internet (for the first library it was, since I find it here), so it must be somewhere, maybe on another account ?

Could you help me ?

Thank you very much,

(Excuse my bad English, I'm from France..)

Ju*

dstillman

It's not possible to create an account with the same e-mail address, so if you had a separate account it would've been with another e-mail address.

I see 262 items in your library under this account, and it does include uploaded data from May.

dstillman

I don't see any other obvious accounts of yours. Are you sure you actually synced your July library with the server? You have to actually set that up in the Zotero preferences—it doesn't happen automatically.

Jujuxx5

Than you very much.
Ok, but I'm looking for the database of July-August (above all in the middle of August I think).

When I open my zotero on firefox, I only see three folders : Alexandrin, Apulée, Racine, I had them in my old laptop.
When I installed zotero on the new one, it had no folder : I created three I think : Delille, Toulet and SJP. But I can't see them now that i've reinitialized firefox.
Do you think i must do something like "reset" on the zoterosite, so its appears on my zotero in firefox ?
Do you think it's lost ?
I thought it was saved automatically...

dstillman

If you don't have a backup of your local Zotero data directory from July-August and you didn't set up syncing, then I'm afraid the data would be lost.

But read the Zotero data page and look for other copies of zotero.sqlite on your system, such as in other unused Firefox profiles.

Jujuxx5

Ok, i understand, but I didn't do it neither in May, so it's weird, I should find anything at all !! ?

dstillman

Yes, you did it in May. To be clear, Zotero syncs automatically. But it doesn't set up syncing automatically. So in May, when you first installed Zotero and created this account, you must have followed the instructions to put your account info in the Sync pane of the Zotero preferences.

Jujuxx5

Ok, thank you, but how do I read the zotero.sqlite file ? How do I know my references from July-August are in it, and how do I put them in my "new" version of zotero if it's in ".sqlite" format ?

adamsmith

you can't have two accounts with the same e-mail address, no.

Remember, though, that the data that you see in Firefox on your computer is not necessarily online - it's on your harddisk:
http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data
depending on how you re-initialized Firefox, you'll still be able to find the old profile on your harddisk - I suggest you look at the link above and search.
It's very well possible that your new computer never synced to Zotero's servers online and that's why you're seeing the "old" library there.

Jujuxx5

Ok, it's quite comic actually : it seems that I was more serious and careful in May than in the summer :)

Jujuxx5

ok, it must be what you say, I never sync-ED, but do you think there is a chance that I could find this database on the old profile ?... I really hope so, I try and tell you what :) Thank you again!

Jujuxx5

p.s. why does a computer keep a copy of the old profiles ? and where ?

adamsmith

I think there is a good chance - I believe when you un-install or re-install Firefox there is an option to delete old profiles. If you did that, there is not much of a chance of finding the old database. If you didn't, it's almost certainly still there.
Where exactly I can't tell - that depends on your set-up. Why - because many people have a lot of settings or data (such as bookmarks, log-in info etc.) that they don't want to lose.

Also, if you have a back-up of your harddisk from sometime August (and really, everyone seriously working with a computer should have automatic and regular back-ups) you would find a copy of the database there.

Jujuxx5

ok, i understand, and I do automatic back ups, but how do i find the old "zotero.sqlite" file in it ? and how can i add this database to my zotero on firefox ?

(hoping you're not getting bored
i can't find informations about this on the internet,
i just found aother profile it seems, from the 2nd of september, with a zotero.sqlite in it, but I believe i did the reinitialization of firefox before that, i'm not sure...
My sqlitebrowser is a firefox application, i don't know how to open the zotero.sqlite file and how to see it's my database from August with sqlitebrowser..

Jujuxx5

Ok : I found a file from the 30th of August, called "zotero.sqlite.1.bak", I opened it with sqlitebrowser (I made a copy on my desktop) and it seems that the data from August appears (I saw names of authors from those references). My problem is the following : how do I add this database to the present database ? must I create a new folder and put the "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" from August and the "zotero.sqlite" from now (6th of September) and then, use this new folder as the directory for synchronisation on my computer ? I don't know if it will work ?
For the moment, the file used for synchronisation is the "profile" of firefox. Another way would be to put the "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" in the profile folder, with the zotero.sqlite of today, but I don't know is Zotero would "mix" the two databases together.. ??

adamsmith

see here:
http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#default_locations
and here:
http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_your_zotero_library_from_a_backup

forget about sqlitebrowser or anything of the sort - you don't need it and it's just going to confuse you. Start by trying out the newest sqlite you have and then work backwards in time if that's not the one you want. Remember to always work with copies of the files as directed in the instructions I link to.

Jujuxx5

Ok, I only work with copies, but since I reinstalled firefox and didn't sync the second time, my present "zotero.sqlite" file doesn't contain what the file "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" file from the 30th of August contains ; there are two different file, not a file that has grown with older version of it... so how can I mix the two ? I'll try by putting them both (copies of them) in a folder on the desktop and tell zotero it's my directory for sync.

adamsmith

you can't easily mix them (you may be able to run two separate Firefox profiles and sync them - http://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/profile-manager-create-and-remove-firefox-profiles ) but why wouldn't the newer sqlite have the older data? Still a bit confused at what happened.
If August 30th is the last back-up you have, I'd just give up on and re-create the data from the last 5 days.

Jujuxx5

The newer sqlite doesn't have the older data because I reinitialised Firefox, and had to reinstall zotero, I didn't find the data from August in it.. I didn't sync in August, so, I believe the only data I had on the server was the one of May (I had sync apparently with my old laptop).

adamsmith

I'm still not sure what's going on, but you'll be able to get the data from May back by syncing if it's on the server.
I'd try to find an sqlite to create a local Zotero version that has as much data as possible for the period between May and Today and then sync that to get the data from before May.

Jujuxx5

Well I made a verification and it's like I told you : when i look with sqlitebrowser, in "collections", I see the ones I need in the file I found on my older firefox profile (30th of August) called "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" , but when I look to the new one, there are only the files from May and from my last new version of Zotero.
My problem is to mix the data in the ".bak" file into the ".sqlite" file. i don't know if it's possible ? Or do i need to create a new account ? i presume it won't work better, if the .bak file is not read by zotero (when I put the two files in the directory where I say the "database" should be, Zotero only give the database coming from the ".sqlite" file, not the .bak, even if it's in the directory !)

Jujuxx5

Maybe i should open a new account and make a backup with the "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" I have ? .. it would be so simple if i could just add the data from the .bak file to the sqlite file now. Maybe I can transform the .bak into .sqlite ?

dstillman

Don't create a new account.

Just do what adamsmith said:

I'd try to find an sqlite to create a local Zotero version that has as much data as possible for the period between May and Today and then sync that to get the data from before May.

adamsmith

also, read the page I've linked to multiple times:
http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data
that explains, among other things, how to get Zotero to read a .bak

dstillman

Just to make it explicit, a .bak file won't be read directly unless it's called zotero.sqlite. You can rename it.

We can't really help you further beyond what's on the Zotero data page.

Jujuxx5

Thankyou very much : I just renamed the "zotero.sqlite.1.bak" "zotero.sqlite" and put it in the directory i created, and synchronized and everything from August came back, added to what was here from May and today !!

It worked... amazing.

samyelrussell

Hi I may have had a similar problem to the previous person. My Zotero tool suddenly disappeared and following the suggestion that I download the most recent version - got Zotero back but not my old library.

I would hugely appreciate some help...

Thanks!

samyelrussell

....me again. Followed Dan's suggestions again and restored library. No worries! Thanks!!