Error box: "There was an error starting Zotero."

poreilly

My current setup: Windows Vista, on an HP Pavillion dv9000, everything else updated and re-started (Zotero, and Firefox). I also did eventually get to the -jsconsole part to kick out the "Error Console."

What I'm trying to do: click the Zotero icon in the bottom right of the Firefox browser (get same result if I click Zotero in the Tools drop-down).

I have never used Zotero (still learning), but have the standalone installed, and updated (having been suggested by a professor), but this functionality issue does not inspire confidence if the software asserts to "connect" browser-borne work and the standalone software (a cost, despite being "free").

The "Error Console" yields the following messages:

*****

Could not read chrome manifest 'file:///C:/Program%20Files%20(x86)/Zotero%20Standalone/xulrunner/chrome.manifest'.

****

While creating services from category 'profile-after-change', could not create service for entry 'Disk Space Watcher Service', contract ID '@mozilla.org/toolkit/disk-space-watcher;1'

*****

Any suggestion of which way to go? I will keep hunting, but I thought I'd ask for help here! Thank you for your time and any suggestions you might have.

poreilly

Note: when the standalone software is called by desktop icon, it opens just fine. It may work as supposed to despite the above error, but I'd like to get the bug/error fixed, if possible. Any good suggestions welcome!

adamsmith

they're set to the same data directory? You see the Firefox Zotero library when you open Standalone?

poreilly

Thanks for asking, adamsmith. Not sure what you precisely mean by "data directory," but on opening standalone, I see "My Library" as a single highest-ranking folder, with three sub-items: Duplicate Items, Unfiled Items, and Trash.

If they are supposed to be set to the same data directory, I would definitely like to know (as mechanically as possible) what it means to get that done, for anyone willing to serve as guide!

adamsmith

If you have Standalone closed entirely and then open Zotero for Firefox (by clicking on the Zotero icon at the bottom right)
a) does that work at all? Or do you get the error starting ZOtero message?

b) If it does work, if you open the preferences:http://www.zotero.org/support/preferences, click on "advanced"--> "files and folder"
What does it say under "Date Directory Location"?
Same for Zotero Standalone?

poreilly

No, when standalone is closed entirely, and I click the Zotero icon at the bottom right of Firefox, or click Zotero form the Tools menu, or try Ctrl+Alt+Z I get the same thing: an error box that says "There was an error starting Zotero."

Zotero standalone opens if you click its icon or otherwise call its executable file.

Although it doesn't work, I checked the Preferences through Data Dictionary Location, and the radio button for "Use profile directory" is selected (don't know if this means anything for you, as I suspect I'm supposed to see this in Firefox too?).

adamsmith

checked the Preferences through Data Dictionary Location

for Standalone or for Zotero in Firefox, or both?

poreilly

Only in Zotero standalone... I don't see this route via Firefox.

adamsmith

Have you tried just re-installing Zotero for Firefox? We usually don't recommend that, but seems like that might be the easiest solution. Simply re-download and install from
http://www.zotero.org/download/

poreilly

As part of this whole effort, I started with downloading the latest Zotero version, which cranked through an installation/update process (from that same website you listed). Is this not equivalent (might not be, if the algorithm not only flags the download to operate as update, but where the update process might be different from a "full" uninstall-install cycle)? What do you think?

adamsmith

that's the same as re-installing, yes. So that didn't work, too bad.
@Dan - do you see anything helpful in the console output? Shouldn't there be more?

poreilly

Oh, ok. Just uninstalled. However, after restarting, after the uninstall, I see Firefox retains the Zotero artifacts, both the icon along the bottom, and its own line item on the Tools menu. I'm now looking for a way to kill those... suspecting they are what needs to get re-set. I'd like to avoid reinstalling Firefox too.

poreilly

Now looking at the extensions... That may be it. Will be back.

adamsmith

sorry, I hope I didn't give you the impression you should do that? There was a chance that re-installing would solve this. Going through great length via de-installing etc. is not worth the trouble since the chance that it'll make a difference is tiny.
That said, uninstalling should definitely get rid of the Zotero icon in the toolbar (after restarting Firefox), if it doesn't there is indeed something quite wrong with your Firefox. You did at some point try to delete extensions.ini, extensions.cache, extensions.rdf, extensions.sqlite, and extensions.sqlite-journal as the instructions specify?

poreilly

Regarding your last question, no. For you that may be a reasonable request. But honestly, when someone reads that, I think you know to expect to hear "are you frikkin kidding me?" Not a knock on you at all. It's likely a growing pain the Zotero developers will likely want to get past (asking users to dink around and delete random files).

Although I appreciate that, nonetheless (I'm normally good for that sort of request), the fix was indeed related to the extension. I re-installed Zotero, and after a hiccup in calling Zotero from Firefox after installing what I thought was a new extension, I tried installing the extension again, started Back up, and poof, everything works (new style icon too).

Thanks for spending some time with me to get through this, and I hope this Zotero gig takes off like it should!

adamsmith

Well, it's obviously not a reasonable request for a user to come up with by themselves, but if the standard instructions for reporting startup errors (http://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_bugs#reporting_startup_errors ) include:

2. Close Firefox and delete extensions.ini, extensions.cache, extensions.rdf, extensions.sqlite, and extensions.sqlite-journal from the Firefox profile directory (some of these files may not exist). These cache files will be recreated automatically the next time you start Firefox. Note that any disabled extensions will be re-enabled.

it's a perfectly reasonable question that in the ~7 years I've been here no one has responded to with "are you kidding me." People may need an extra pointer, which we're happy to provide, but it's really not that hard to do. It's obviously also not something that is required for most users: For ~99.99% of all users Zotero just works. Those instructions are for the other .01% and that step in particular is a generic troubleshooting step for corrupted Firefox extensions handling (you'll find the same instructions on mozilla's troubleshooting page) that usually indicates there was an issue prior to installing Zotero.

poreilly

Fair enough. At least folks have someone like you to guide them through that. Otherwise, things might look (at least momentarily) bleak for the newbie! If that 0.01%/99.99% split is what it is, then you all are doing a solid job. This is an ambitious operation, that comes free of money prices (for most all users), but I'm sure those driving it also know the opportunity cost doesn't map to money, but time, or, as Adam Smith the Scottish economist/moralist once suggested, "The real price of everything, what everything really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it." So, thanks again for your time... I appreciate it!