Thanks for your response. I followed these instructions:

"click “Show Data Directory”. This should reveal your active data directory containing zotero.sqlite and possibly a 'storage' subdirectory. Close Zotero Standalone and move zotero.sqlite and 'storage' from this folder into a temporary folder on your desktop. Next, copy — don't move — zotero.sqlite and 'storage' from your backup into the active data directory."

I had more tahn one of these zotero.sqlite.bak files and a numbered one (zotero.sqlite.[highest-number].bak)and 'storage'. Since this didnt work, I tried various combinations, copying the whole directory, copying only the numbered file and so on. So far teh result has been the same though.

Hi,

I did this. It shows the same library again (I copied it from C drive where my original Zotero folder is saved). It is the same 30 MB file on my all my backups as well.

I am going to have the HDD opened and try to check Standalone on that older PC. From what it looks like, I am beginning to suspect that somehow my local folder has been synced with my online library which is old. Though that should not be the case as I keep auto-sync turned off all the time, and till I had changed the HDD, the local files were alright. I opened the storage folder in the original Zotero library in the old HDD, and there seems to be recently saved files there, but these are somehow not appearing in the library of standalone.

What would be my options in these circumstances?

Thanks again.

My library is not empty, but shows a version of the library from 2013 on adding the backup files. Meanwhile, on my original HDD (which I has reinstalled today to check, the library is the updated one from 2014). In the new HDD where I am trying to copy this library, What is missing are the files between 2013 and 2014 (these files appear on 'Storage' folder on checking), but NOT in the library after re-installation.

So now, from what I can gather

I have a few .BAK files:

.1bak (31 MB approx, larger than the .sqlite file by 1-2 MB)and this seems to be larger than zotero.sqlite.76bak (the latter being only 14 MB.

From the instructions, just to be clear, I gather that

1.I take the LARGEST size zotero.sqlite.bak file and name it zotero.sqlite.new (while Standalone is running)

2. rename zotero.sqlite (non numbered, .sqlite file) to zotero.sqlite.old, rename zotero.sqlite.new to zotero.sqlite, and restart Firefox/Standalone.

I will do try this now, once I have replaced the HDD with the new one and let you know.

Thanks!

Well, not exactly to the letter.

1.I take the LARGEST size zotero.sqlite.bak file and name it zotero.sqlite.new (while Standalone is running)

You should not rename these files while Zotero is running. That should be "while Standalone is _not_ running"

But, you say

on my original HDD (which I has reinstalled today to check, the library is the updated one from 2014).

, so instead of restoring from a backed up database (.bak file), why not copy over the "zotero.sqlite" (no .bak or numbers or anything) over from the original HDD? Then you'll have exactly what you saw when you opened Zotero from the old HDD.

Well, yes, that particular file from a backup does not matter, but the instructions become unclear, since there is no mention of closing Standalone/Firefox before renaming "zotero.sqlite" (which would be bad).

I guess we were talking about different things. I meant the instructions recited in this thread by adityakakati. Didn't want him/her (or anyone else reading this) to get confused.

I think my previous comment did not upload for some reason. In short,

I tried this as well several times:

"so instead of restoring from a backed up database (.bak file), why not copy over the "zotero.sqlite" (no .bak or numbers or anything) over from the original HDD"

But on doing this, the same 2013library appears.

Meanwhile while trying https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_from_the_last_automatic_backup
I encountered a conflict: I have two 'zotero.sqlite' files in the folder. One is a .sqlite file (30,476 kb), and the other a .bak file (the latter is marginally bigger in kb, being 30,564 kb). The prompt wanted to rename the conflicted files to zotero.sqlite(2).

Then there are also two other .bak files, zotero.sqlite.1 (30, 560 kb) and zotero.sqlite.76 (14,120 kb).

Now I am quite confused as to what to do or which files to proceed with (and what to do with the other .bak files?)

The zotero.sqlite file from the old HDD is the same size more or less. The contents of the 'storage' folder even in the newly installed Zotero shows data added much later, but somehow this does not show in the library, under the various headings I had made.

I am a bit confused as to what I should finally follow now under these circumstances. Please help.

Thanks

The Old HDD (which is now in the form of an external drive) on being installed into the laptop again temporarily showed the latest library I want. Indeed, this is the one I want on my new HDD now.

Sorry for the long delay. Carefully follow the instructions here after opening your library from the old HDD (use the show data directory button to locate your library). Then follow the same directions to back up your current library (let us know if you want to merge the two at this point). Finally, follow the directions here to restore the backup of the old HDD to your new HDD (use the show data directory button while viewing your new Zotero library)

Look at this:
https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_your_zotero_library_from_a_backup1
This gives you what we believe are detailed, step-by-step instructions. If anything is unclear, feel free to ask, but be as specific as possible with any questions.

1) Well, you're copying the sqlite from your back-up to the currently active Zotero data folder. That's the folder that shows up when you go into the Zotero preferences, advanced, files and folder and click on "Show Data Directory." You don't really need the desktop for this at all.

2) just this one: "one named zotero, listed as SQLITE file";
though ideally also the folder named "storage" from your back-up.