Trying to import RIS file, computer must be restarted to complete previous upgrade

charlottenutter

IT installed Zotero 5.0.93 on my new laptop; now I can't import RIS files. Message is, Your computer must be restarted to complete previous upgrade of Zotero. Do you want to reboot now. I've rebooted many times, still the same message.

dstillman

You should ask them to uninstall Zotero and reinstall it from the download page.

charlottenutter

Thank you, but I cannot uninstall it. The Zotero icon doesn't show up in the apps list; it's the windows icon. When I click uninstall I get the same message, your computer must be restarted to complete a previous upgrade of Zotero. Do you want to reboot now. I've rebooted several times.

dstillman

OK, and what if you just reinstall?

dstillman

If that doesn't work, go to C:\Program Files (x86), delete the "Zotero" and/or "Zotero Standalone" folder, and then try to install it again. (Do not under any circumstances delete the "Zotero" folder in your home directory.)

charlottenutter

Thank you for the update. My IT person followed your instructions. It still gives the same popup window to reboot.

Is this the "Zotero" folder in my home directory, Users\charlotte\Zotero?

Inside that folder there are these folders: locate 11/20/2020, storage 12/8/2020, styles 12/10/2020, translators 12/11/2020, then these files: zotero.sqlite 12/11/2020, zotero sqlite.1.bak 12/8/2020
zotero.sqlite.bak 12/10/2020, zotero.sqlite-journal 12/11/2020

Do you have advice on next steps?

dstillman

If deleting Zotero in Program Files doesn't fix it, ask them to delete C:\Users\charlotte\AppData\Local\Zotero as well. (They shouldn't delete the one in Roaming.)

If that doesn't help, clearing any registry keys mentioning Zotero could also help.

None of this is normal, but it sounds like something went wrong with the previous installation, so some manual cleanup is required before reinstalling.

Is this the "Zotero" folder in my home directory, Users\charlotte\Zotero?

Yes, don't touch that.

charlottenutter

Thank you for this update. The IT person did what you indicated. I uninstalled Zotero from the x86 program files and reinstalled it from zotero.org. We are further now, because I don't get that popup to reboot. When I try to import a .ris file from a program I have imported from in the past, it opens Zotero, but does not import that records. Is there something else I need to do?

charlottenutter

This may or may not be related, but I am also unable to import through the connector from either Chrome or Firefox. I reinstalled the connectors, but I get the An error occurred while saving this item. See Troubleshooting Translator Issues for more information.

dstillman

Reset your translators from the Advanced → Files and Folders pane of the Zotero preferences.

If you're still having trouble, provide a Debug ID for an import attempt that fails.

charlottenutter

Here is a debug ID that I just attempted D1023641149

dstillman

What's the problem? That shows a book item being successfully saved from WorldCat.

charlottenutter

It looks like it is saving, but it is not in my library. Is there another place it would be? I don't have any of my collections open, just the library.

dstillman

It's definitely saving, and it's also uploading to your web library. It will be automatically selected in your library after saving.

Not really much more we can tell you. If you're still having trouble, take a screenshot of what you're looking at, upload it somewhere (e.g., Dropbox), and provide a link here. (If you'd prefer not to post it publicly, you can send the screenshot via email to support@zotero.org with a link to this thread.)

charlottenutter

Thank you. I can not import from the connector in Chrome. I cannot import an RIS file. I ran the debug outputting log on this and here it is D1510991630. It looks like it saves from the file in Chrome, but none of the 6 books/articles in the file are in my library. Normally this export to ris and import to Zotero creates a folder in my library with the course designation.

charlottenutter

Can NOW import from the connector in Chrome. Sorry about the typo.

dstillman

I cannot import an RIS file. I ran the debug outputting log on this and here it is D1510991630.

That Debug ID doesn't show any import attempt. Can you try again?

charlottenutter

This is the Debug output that saved in my download file. I didn't get a debug ID for it. Does this make sense to you?

version => 5.0.93, platform => Win32, oscpu => Windows NT 10.0; WOW64, locale => en-US, appName => Zotero, appVersion => 5.0.93, extensions => Zotero LibreOffice Integration (5.0.25.SA.5.0.93, extension), Zotero Word for Windows Integration (5.0.17.SA.5.0.93, extension)

charlottenutter

It must have been working because now there is much more text in D1140742891

dstillman

I'm not sure what you're trying to show us. You sent a screenshot of the Windows File Explorer with a bunch of RIS files saved to disk.

Can you step back and explain, step by step, exactly what you're trying to do, what you expect to happen, and what's actually happening?

charlottenutter

I have a list of resources for courses in a program called eReserve Plus. I have always been able to export the list to an RIS file. I exported the lists in the screenshot to an RIS file. I am using Chrome, so the export file shows up in the bottom of my Chrome window. Normally when I click on that file, it imports the list into my open Zotero program. The file has the Zotero emblem on it, and when I click on the file the Zotero window pops up on my screen, but nothing imports.

I have also been able to import articles from ProQuest PsycArticles into Zotero in the past using the RIS export. Now The RIS export loads. I see the file in the bottom of the screen with the Zotero symbol. When I click on the file the Zotero window pops up, but nothing imports into the program.

dstillman

So Zotero comes to the front when you double-click a RIS file in File Explorer (Chrome should work too but let's focus on File Explorer for the moment) but you're not prompted to import the file? (It never imports automatically when you double-click on a RIS file, to be clear. It should prompt, though.)

Can you follow these steps and confirm that neither explorer.exe nor zotero.exe is running as admin?

Assuming neither is running as admin, can you try again to provide a Debug ID for this? Restart Zotero, start debug output logging via Help → Debug Output Logging → Enable, double-click on the file in File Explorer, wait until Zotero comes to the front, give it a few seconds to make sure it's not prompting you, and then go to Help → Debug Output Logging → Submit Output and copy the Debug ID here.

Finally, are you able to import the file if you just go to File → Import in Zotero?

charlottenutter

I followed the steps. Explorer was not running at all. Zotero.exe was not running as elevated.
I tried again, and here's the bug ID is D1019633673.
Yes, I did just import one of those failed imports by going to File-Import into Zotero-choosing the file from my downloads.

dstillman

Explorer was not running at all.

explorer.exe is always running. It's part of the system.

This works in general, but there's likely something about the system — possibly some institutional security restriction — that's preventing RIS files from being properly passed to Zotero from outside. If you can't get it to work, you should just use File → Import.

dstillman

The Zotero Connector in your browser will also offer to import RIS files served properly by websites, which would skip the filesystem. They'll only download if the site is serving them with the wrong content type or if BibTeX/RIS intercept is disabled in the General pane of the Zotero Connector preferences.