Not being recognised by Zotero sync

georgedarroch

On logging in, I'm greeted by:

"Server Error: Something went wrong processing your request."

I've tried this a few times and the same each time. I am unable to access the 'home' page.

My library online seems to have disappeared and won't upload - although the sync in the FF toolbar is still working fine. So has my profile, and the following and followers settings I had.

jaksval

I have a similar problem. Zotero server doesn't accept my login/password, so I set up another account with a different email address, user name, etc. Still no go! Any ideas, please?

dstillman

You've almost certainly entered your username and password incorrectly in the Sync pane of the Zotero prefs. You need to use the same login and password you use on this website.

jaksval

Dan
That's what I thought, and that's why I changed my user name and password comletely, so I could be sure they were correct. I have also tried clearing the information from the File Syncing part of Prefs, also to no avail.
I'm running out of ideas.
Val

dstillman

Wait, what are you actually referring to? The Zotero website, or syncing? It's not really clear what the original post in this thread was about, and you don't specify. (In the future it'd be better to start a new thread and state exactly what the problem is rather than revive a thread from many months earlier.)

If you're referring to sync, check your login and password and try again.

jaksval

Dan
I apologise. I thought the posts were linked in a thread.
The problem is with syncing. When I went into prefs, the Zotero server didn't accept my login/password. I changed my user name and password completely, so I could be sure I was keying in correct information, but I got the same response. So I struck out on checking my login and password and trying again - twice.
I have also tried clearing the information from the File Syncing part of Prefs, also to no avail.
Still no go! Any ideas, please?

dstillman

How are you entering your password? Are you actually typing it into the Sync pane, or are you trying to copy and paste it from somewhere? (You can't do the latter.)

jaksval

Dan
I have done both. I just tried again with keying it in, and once again had the "Invalid login/pass" message.
Val

dstillman

I can really only encourage you to try again, being very careful about what you're typing into the field.

If you were copying and pasting before, you were literally sending bullet characters ("••••••••") to the server, and that would've been why you were receiving the "Invalid login/pass" error.

jaksval

Thanks for your help, Dan.
I've given up trying to sync. Having tried 2 separate logins and passwords numerous times, being 100% sure about accurate entering, and still getting the "Invalid login/password" message, has me convinced that there is a bug which is beyond my non-technical mind to address. I have also found the instructions for backup incomprehensible, so I will have to find another database. A pity, because I really like Zotero. But I need to be able to rely on retaining my records.
Val

dstillman

Uh, as far as I can tell you logged in to the sync server as 'jaksval' just fine a few minutes ago... Twice, actually. It's possible you're seeing an out-of-date error message for some reason. Have you tried restarting Firefox?

The backup instructions basically say to copy your data directory to another location. I'm not really sure how we would make that more straightforward, but if you can explain exactly what's confusing you, perhaps we can clarify something.

jaksval

You see me logging in; I continue to get an "invalid login/password' message which prevents me from proceeding. 'Successful' logging in doesn't help me. Nor does restarting Firefox, which I have also done numerous times.
I have copied the Zotero folder from the Application Data folder (Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles etc) but it's not clear to me which of the many Zotero files/folders I should then open. zotero.sqlite.old, maybe. This isn't second nature to me so I need step by step instructions, but they aren't available on the site. I admit defeat - yes, I failed the intelligence test.

dstillman

Just to be clear, you were sending an invalid password to the server until a couple hours ago, so if you're still getting a login error, it's a new problem. I'm happy to help you, but a little patience might be in order.

Restart your computer. You may have a leftover Firefox process that's not ending completely. I haven't seen that cause a spurious "Invalid login/password" error, but you're definitely no longer getting an error from the server.

If you're still getting an error after restarting, provide a Debug ID from the sync process and a Report ID from after syncing.

Also, are there actually items in the Zotero library you're trying to sync? Your computer appears to be going through the entire sync process successfully, but I don't see any uploaded data.

As for backup, you're really not saying where your confusion lies. If you've copied the directory as the instructions tell you to do, then you've made a backup. That's all there is to it. Why do you need to "then open" anything? The Zotero Data page provides step-by-step instructions for how to restore from such a backup if you ever need to. So it's not clear to me what exactly the problem is that you're facing.

jaksval

Dan
It has synced. Thank you.
Val