Zotero Error in Standalone (Mac)

ChristyCobb
Recently, my Zotero Standalone has stopped working properly. I have been using zotero for over 5 years now and this is the first time I have had this problem. Here's my information:

Firefox 19.0.2
Mac OS X Version 10.8.3

I have uninstalled Zotero and deleted all the files on my computer, restarted both my computer and firefox (numerous times), and redownloaded zotero. Every time I try to open zotero, an error message says: Alert: There was an error starting Zotero.

Even when I try to open it in Terminal, in order to get an error report, that isn't working either.

Can anyone help, please?
  • dstillman
    Even when I try to open it in Terminal, in order to get an error report, that isn't working either.
    You'll have to be more specific here.
  • ChristyCobb
    That is, I attempted to follow the directions for 'reporting startup errors' for the standalone Zotero software the on bug reporting page of this website (http://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_bugs), but Zotero did not start with a separate 'Error Console window' as the directions indicated should happen.
  • dstillman
    I understand, but you have to tell us what exactly is happening, then—we can't see your screen, so just saying something isn't working doesn't give us any way to help you. See the section on providing steps to reproduce on that page.
  • adamsmith
    (also - since you mention Firefox - are you also using Zotero in Firefox? Is that still working normally?)
  • ChristyCobb
    Thanks, guys, for your responses. The steps to reproduce are really quite simple (Dan, when I follow the link you've directed me to, it brings me to the page that I indicated I had already visited in my immediately preceding post). When I open Zotero I receive the following alert: 'There was an error starting Zotero.' Nothing will work beyond this error. When I press OK, the program quits. This is the limit of Zotero's current responsiveness.

    My understanding from your 'reporting bugs' page is that this would indicate a startup error, which is why I attempted to find error reports in Terminal in the first place. Is there anything more specific I can do, beyond what the bug reporting page describes, as to what I should look for?

    Adam, I downloaded Zotero for Firefox when I began having problems with the standalone application with the hope that it would suffice until I resolved the issue with the standalone app, only to find that the Firefox Add-on also would not work. I've since deleted the Firefox add-on.
  • adamsmith
    absolutely this is a start-up error, yes.
    What Dan wants to know is, after you do
    "Paste ”/Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/MacOS/zotero -jsconsole” into the Terminal window"
    what _exactly_ happens? nothing at all appears in the terminal? That'd be very odd.
  • ChristyCobb
    When I enter the command, Zotero attempts to open, but with the same results as when I try to open it directly: I receive the same error message and when I click 'ok' the program aborts. No other windows are open, in Zotero or in Terminal (hence my original confusion regarding the Error Console window), and neither does any other text appear in the Terminal console.
  • Simon
    edited March 29, 2013
    Try
    /Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/MacOS/zotero-bin /Applications/Zotero.app/Contents/Resources/application.ini -jsconsole
    and see if that opens the error console.
  • ChristyCobb
    Simon, thanks that worked. Here is the error:

    Timestamp: 3/29/13 6:12:56 PM
    Error: [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80520006 (NS_ERROR_FILE_TARGET_DOES_NOT_EXIST) [nsIFile.moveTo]" nsresult: "0x80520006 (NS_ERROR_FILE_TARGET_DOES_NOT_EXIST)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/zotero.js :: moveToUnique :: line 1446" data: no]
    Source File: chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/zotero.js
    Line: 749
  • dstillman
    edited March 29, 2013
    Not sure about this—if this doesn't work we can look further—but try running your database through the DB Repair Tool.

    Also, is your Zotero data directory set to the standard location or a custom location?
  • ChristyCobb
    Dan, thanks for your help and patience.

    I have located the file needed in the DB Repair Tool page, and I think this might be the problem. Here are the files listed:

    zotero.sqlite-1.damaged
    zotero.sqlite-journal
    zotero.sqlite.1.bak
    zotero.sqlite.73.bak
    zotero.sqlite.bak
    zotero.sqlite.damaged
    zotero.sqlite.is.corrupt

    Which one should I copy to download onto that page?

    In reference to your final question, I found the above databases in Library>Application Support>Firefox>Profile. Despite the fact that it's the standalone application that I would like to use, when I first started using Zotero there was no standalone application, so that would probably explain the location of the database in the firefox application support files.
  • adamsmith
    I actually don't know the answer to this, so Dan or Simon would have to say. That said:
    1. You should make a copy of all of those files and put them somewhere else.

    2. You could try this:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_from_the_last_automatic_backup
    using the zotero.sqlite.bak file - there is a good chance that will lose you no or very little work.


    3. The Firefox profile folder is a default location for this purpose, yes. Dan's concern would have been had you placed the profile into dropbox, a network folder, or an external harddisk - especially the former two could explain database corruption.
    Do you remember doing anything else out of the ordinary that could have corrupted your database? Any manual editing of the sqlite? Are you running any Zotero plugins? Which? This should be all but impossible to happen during regular Zotero usage.
  • ChristyCobb
    Thanks, Adam. I just copied the files and saved them elsewhere.

    I can try your #2 suggestion, but my zotero has not been working for quite sometime and so I'm not sure the restoring from the last backup would be useful. I think it's been about 2 months since I last used it, and I knew there were some problems but am just now addressing them. Ultimately, my biggest concern is getting the program working on my computer. Also, I can view all of my database and sources online when I log into zotero.

    #3 - I can't remember doing anything out of the ordinary, and I definitely didn't manually edit the sqlite. I was running a plugin, I believe, for the mac. But I deleted all of those when I was trying to re-download the program at first. So, I can't check it now to see what it was specifically.
  • adamsmith
    I'd try using the back-up nevertheless - good chance it will work (it's tied to restarts, not to time, so if your Zotero hasn't been starting it would likely be from before the last successful start). And if not there's nothing lost.

    I'd like to see what Dan thinks about this, but if the local back-up doesn't work, my suggestion would be to just restore this from the server if you're sure all your info is there.
  • ChristyCobb
    Adam (and Dan),

    I just tried restoring from backup and received the following error:

    [Exception... "Component returned failure code: 0x80520006 (NS_ERROR_FILE_TARGET_DOES_NOT_EXIST) [nsIFile.remove]" nsresult: "0x80520006 (NS_ERROR_FILE_TARGET_DOES_NOT_EXIST)" location: "JS frame :: chrome://zotero/content/xpcom/zotero.js :: _initFull :: line 519" data: no]

    Thanks again for all your help...hopefully one of these times it will work!
  • dstillman
    Try removing the .is.corrupt file in the directory. Zotero is actually supposed to automatically recover (even if it has to create a new database in the process) from a corrupted database, but something is preventing it from doing so.

    Did you run the .bak file through the DB Repair Tool?
  • Quartuccio Francesco
    I have the same problem. In one of my Mac it donsn't work!!!
    I removed Zotero in Firefox, I removed Firefox and reinstallined everything...but....only the sema message. What is the problem.
    HELP ME URGENTLY!!!!
  • dstillman
    Quartuccio Francesco: Please start a thread and provide more information.
  • Quartuccio Francesco
    When I start zotzro in Firefox (italian version) this is the message:
    Errore in fase di avvio di Zotero.
    I don't know why...
  • adamsmith
    First, make sure that you're using the latest version of Zotero by (re)installing it from zotero.org/download .

    If you continue to recieve the start-up error, please follow Dan's request and start a new thread - you can do that by clicking on "Start a New Discussion" on the top left of this page.

    In that thread, you should include the information described here: http://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_bugs#reporting_startup_errors
  • Quartuccio Francesco
    ok...It works with 4.0 version!
    Thank you

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