All of my sources got deleted

sfbraun
I had around 25 sources for my research paper saved and placed in folders for use in the future and I opened Zotero today and ALL of my sources were gone and I can't sync them into my folders again. They are just gone. Is there any way to get them back at all?
  • adamsmith
    Please provide some more details about your set-up.
    What version of Zotero are you using?
    How did you save those items? On the same computer?

    Zotero items don't just vanish, so something else is going wrong here.
  • sfbraun
    I have the latest version of Zotero, I just downloaded it three weeks ago. Using the Firefox add on, I hit the button in the URL bar to save it to the files in the Zotero tool bar. These were all on the same computer, but I turned my computer on (After my assignment was finished luckily) and all my sources were gone. They are not in the files, or saved to my computer or in the unfiled items sections. Just nowhere to be found. Is there a way to back up the files?
  • DWL-SDCA
    edited February 24, 2013
    If you downloaded Zotero 3 weeks ago you don't have the most recent version.

    What version of FireFox are you using?
  • sfbraun
    That doesn't really help the problem. So I have the version that was available THREE WEEKS AGO.
  • DWL-SDCA
    Depending on the versions of FireFox and Zotero you are using there may be incompatibilities. You should be sure that you have the most recent version of Zotero (3.0.14) and that you are _not_ using an old version of FF (and not using FF 20 beta). There should be a backup of your data on your hard drive. If you are using the most up to date versions of Zotero and FF, search the Zotero documentation for backup.
  • adamsmith
    I don't think the exact version matters much here, but generally you do need to work with us in troubleshooting. If you start yelling at people you'll stop getting help.

    Zotero does t ake automatic back-ups, so you could try that
    http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_from_the_last_automatic_backup


    The first thing is that I'm not even clear where you're looking.
    What do you mean by "they're not in the files"? Which files? If you open Zotero and you click on "My Library" - you don't see anything at all in the middle column?
  • sfbraun
    Sorry, I'm just getting frustrated with this situation. There is nothing in the left folder column. I have my folders but there is nothing in them. There are none of my files in the center column either. There is the Zotero Quick Start Guide and a blank document that I'm not sure what it is.
  • adamsmith
    so you're saying that Zotero shows the collections (i.e. the folder-icons on the left) you created, but there is nothing in them?
    And if you click on "My Library" you only see the quick start guide and one other icon?

    Check your database integrity from the advanced tab of the Zotero preferences.
    Also, provide an error report ID
    http://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_bugs#provide_a_report_id
    Finally, do you remember doing anything unusual? Moving the default location of your database, e.g.?
    Did you ever use Zotero's sync function? Maybe on a public computer?
  • dstillman
    edited February 24, 2013
    There is nothing in the left folder column. I have my folders
    Note that these are contradictory statements, so you'll need to be more precise about what you see for us to understand your situation. You can always take a screenshot, upload it somewhere (Dropbox, imageshack.us, etc.), and provide a link here.

This is an old discussion that has not been active in a long time. Before commenting here, you should strongly consider starting a new discussion instead. If you think the content of this discussion is still relevant, you can link to it from your new discussion.

Sign In or Register to comment.