zotero disappeared after upgrade

Hi,
I haven't been able to find this problem elsewhere.

I am working on a Mac OS X. I just upgraded to 2.0 from 1.7 and... Zotero disappeared from my browser window! Yikes! The little icon is gone from the bottom corner. I have restarted Firefox and restarted the computer and it's still not there.

When I look at the add-ons list in Firefox Tools, Zotero is listed as a new add-on that will be added when Firefox is restarted. I have restarted several times and this does not change.

Thanks for your help!
  • I should add that I didn't/don't get any error messages.
    Thanks!
  • Thanks! Sorry, for some reason I didn't find that entry when I was searching. Wrong keywords I guess!
  • Hi again,
    Sorry, I've tried all those steps and it's still not there.
    Any other suggestions?
    Thanks again!
  • Are you certain that you followed the instructions precisely (disable all other extensions, close firefox, delete the files it tells you to delete, and then start firefox)?
    I just upgraded to 2.0 from 1.7
    Do you mean from 1.5 or from 1.0.7?
  • Hi,
    Sorry, I meant 1.0.7.

    Yes, I followed the instructions exactly. There are no other extensions. I closed Firefox, deleted the files, restarted. Nothing.

    I managed to revert back to 1.0.7, and have retried upgrading and get the same result.

    Thanks!
  • Since this is likely just a Firefox issue, we can't really offer much troubleshooting advice beyond what they already suggest, which is to delete those extension files. (I'd also add compreg.dat and xpti.dat.) If that doesn't work, you could try copying your Zotero data to a new profile and installing Zotero 2.0 into that. If it worked in a new profile, and you couldn't fix your old profile, you'd want to move the rest of your old data over (including data from other extensions).
  • Hi,
    Thanks, yes, I see now that it is clearly a Firefox problem so I'll look there for solutions. (It's actually a friend's computer so I don't have access to it at the moment.)

    By the way, for anyone else who might encounter this problem, I was able to revert back to the previous version by deleting the staged-xpis folder in my Firefox profile. (Close Firefox > go to the Firefox Profile folder > open the extensions folder > delete the staged-xpis folder.) On reopening Firefox I was back with my previous version intact.
  • I had a similar problem. Now it is fixed. Skype extension 2.2.0.102 seemed to be causing the problem - when I disabled it, Zotero returned. This came with the recent Skype update.
  • First let me thank the Zotero developers for a wonderful tool on which I have become totally dependent.

    Second: HELP!

    My Zotero has also disappeared: the icon is gone from the bottom right corner. This may or may not have something to do with the latest update of Firefox (to 3.5.3) which happened recently. Zotero shows up in Tools>Adds-on (but not in Tools proper). I’m working on Windows XP.

    I have tried the advice I found in this forum including:
    - Disabling (and even uninstalling) all other Firefox extensions, including the trouble-making Skype extension (which no longer shows in the Adds-on list).
    - Following the steps indicated here: http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/no_status_bar_icon including deleting the extensions files on the Firefox profile.
    - Uninstalling and re-installing Zotero 1.0.10
    - Reinstalling Firefox
    - Installing Zotero 2.0
    - Restarting the computer

    Still, the Zotero icon simply vanished. Ctrl + Alt + Z doesn’t work either. Another somewhat strange thing: every time I try the “Options” button on Firefox > Tools > Adds-on > Zotero, the box freezes and I have to restart Firefox.

    Any suggestions for how to get my Zotero back would be greatly appreciated!
  • arodrigues: Sounds like a problem in your Firefox profile. If uninstalling and reinstalling Zotero doesn't work, you might try creating a new Firefox profile, moving your Zotero data and other data over, and reinstalling Zotero. (And make sure it works before reinstalling other add-ons.)
  • Many thanks for your reply Dan, much appreciated.

    It was indeed a problem with Firefox - I got confused with the profile manager so I ended up uninstalling Zotero, uninstalling Firefox all together, then reinstalling Firefox and Zotero (1.0.10) and I got the icon back. (I didn't need to move the Zotero data as I keep it in a folder outside the Firefox profiles anyway - I had then to link it back using Zootero preferences > advanced; and I recovered my Firefox bookmarks from a back up).

    Phew. What a relief! This shows how much Zotero has become a fundamental tool for me. I have transferred my 6000+ references from EndNote 8 months now and never looked back! Many, many thanks for a great application!
  • Before doing anything complicated, try this:

    1) Click anywhere in your Firefox browser window.
    2) Hold down the Ctrl key and type a forward slash (the one under the question mark on your keyboard)

    I suspect that Zotero may be "disappearing" on people after they accidentally use that keystroke combination when trying to type a question mark (hitting Ctrl-/ instead of Shift-/). That keystroke combination is a Firefox shortcut for Show/Hide Add-Ins. I don't know what version of Firefox started using that keystroke combination, but I suspect that it is causing much of the mischief we are seeing.
  • (note that this thread is four year old, before the add-on bar existed in Firefox)
    We mention the add-on bar in the instructions we point people with missing Zotero to:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/no_status_bar_icon
  • edited October 29, 2013
    I know it's an old thread, but the problem itself continues to crop up, and is very frustrating to people. The student I spoke with yesterday said "nothing on the Zotero page worked," and she also says, "the IT department [at our large university] says this is a common problem and they haven't figured out a good fix yet."

    Much of what is in the support item linked above has to do with installing or reinstalling, when what I believe to be the laughably/tragically simple root of at least some instances of this problem - people accidentally hiding their Firefox Add-Ins, including the Zotero button, by mis-typing a common keystroke combination, is not addressed.

    Nor is the specific series of clicks within the View menu mentioned on that support page, even for those who have the menu toolbar showing. That would be: View -> Toolbars --> Add-On Bar.

    I know we all hate to have to do IT support for Firefox, but considering that at least according to the IT department of a big university, this is a common and very frustrating problem that at least in some cases is driving people away from Zotero, even though it should not...I'd recommend adding the recommendation "First try holding the Control key and typing a forward slash ( / ) to see if your Add-On bar has been inadvertently toggled off" to start of the above support page.
  • edited October 29, 2013
    Nor is the specific series of clicks within the View menu mentioned on that support page, even for those who have the menu toolbar showing. That would be: View -> Toolbars --> Add-On Bar.
    I don't follow. It says:
    Setting the icon to appear should automatically cause the add-on bar to be shown, but you can also manually enable the add-on bar in the Firefox View→Toolbars or Options menu.
    I considered adding the keyboard shortcut a while back, but it can differ between computers (it's cmd+/ on a mac e.g.), it may not trigger depending on where your cursor is, it may conflict with another shortcut etc. so I prefer people actually check that the toolbar is enabled in the menu.

    There are good reasons we want people to check that Zotero is installed and up to date - it is at least as common a cause for a missing status bar icon (both because the 3.0 versions are not compatible with FF>20 and because people only have Standalone installed).

    That any IT support is unable to follow: http://xkcd.com/627/ is just sad. These instructions are neither hard to find nor hard to follow (e.g. two clicks from googling "Zotero disappeared")
    (edit: sorry, I'm just rather exasperated at IT departments in general)
  • The Add-On bar toggle is mentioned in those instructions, but it is in the third paragraph and may be overlooked. I also added a note about it as a first step.
  • Just reporting what I'm seeing/hearing. As you say, the support item is not hard to find, either from Google or from this forum thread. Evidence suggests that it is hard to follow by one underfunded, overstretched IT help desk, whether this fact is "sad" or not. Maybe some users don't understand that the "Add-On Bar" is that place at the bottom of the screen where Zotero hangs out, since most toolbars appear at the top of the browser window; I don't know.

    Totally agree it's good to check that Zotero is up to date (though, aren't auto-updates of Zotero enabled by default?). I wasn't suggesting that part of the support item be discarded. If your experience suggests that this is the most common cause of this issue and should therefore be placed first, I won't knock that.

    Perhaps the best solution is to split the Support item into two, based on symptoms:

    Situation: Zotero has been working fine but suddenly the button at the bottom of the screen is gone. I still get Zotero icons in the URL bar, but the button at the bottom of my screen is not there anymore.

    Solution: Click into the browser, in a "neutral" location, not a hotlink or form box. Hold down the Ctrl key (Command key for Mac)and hit the forward slash (/) key. The Zotero button will reappear.

    Explanation: At some point in the past, when trying to type a question mark, you may have accidentally triggered the keystroke combination that hides/shows the Add-ins toolbar at the bottom of the browser in some versions of Firefox. Or maybe you recently installed a new version of Firefox, and the new version doesn't show the Add-Ons toolbar on the bottom of the screen by default. Either way, if Add-Ons like Zotero are present but hidden, using this keystroke combination can return Zotero to the bottom of your browser window in many versions of Firefox.

    If this does not work for you, you may need to update or reinstall Zotero, you may need to use another method to get Zotero to appear, or you may need to disable one or more other add-ons that are interfering with Zotero. These steps are detailed here: http://www.zotero.org/support/kb/no_status_bar_icon

    Up to you if you want to add another item to Support, but I think it could help some users. Otherwise, maybe they'll find it here and that will suffice. Thanks for all the work you do to maintain and support Zotero, and your responsiveness to this and other queries.
  • edited October 29, 2013
    The shortcut you mention above was added to the troubleshooting page (along with directions to find the toggle in the menu, which is generally invariant). Is that not satisfactory from your point of view?
  • That is very satisfactory from my point of view. Thanks for adding that.
Sign In or Register to comment.