Zotero 5.0 upgrade problems - old data directory didn't move

Pashin
Desktop running Windows 10 home; Zotero Standalone 4.0.29.17 (I think - no longer recoverable). My first Zotero install was Zotero for Firefox .

Hi, I have encountered (or created - a little knowledge being dangerous) significant problems with my attempt to install Zotero 5.0. When I first installed, it appears that the wizard did not find or did not move my existing data directory, because 5.0 gave an error message to that effect [can't remember or recreate exact message] and when the program opened there was no content, and it warned that it was going to sync over the version in the Cloud. I turned off automatic syncing to keep that from happening.

After various unsuccessful attempts to roll back to 4.0 or reinstall 5.0 pointing to the the old directory, this is where I am. I have installed 5.0. There is no content. Sync is off. I have my old data directory [backed up on external HD, FYI] in the AppData...Mozilla...location. It has four subdirectories: locate, storage, styles, translators. The new default 5.0 directory in Users...Zotero, has only the locate, styles, and translators.

This makes me wonder - can I just copy my storage over to the new location? Or is there a better solution?

Thanks.

-Paul Ashin




  • adamsmith
    Try this:
    Make sure Zotero isn't running.

    1. In the 5.0 data directory, identify zotero.slite and rename it to (e.g.) zotero.sqlite.old5

    2. From your backed up 4.0 data directory copy over the file zotero.sqlite and the folder "storage" to the 5.0 data directory

    3. Run 5.0

    See if that works. Please read and note any error messages (using screenshots if need be). I think you may actually have misunderstood the messages you received.
  • Pashin
    Thanks much, Adam. That indeed worked with no error messages for me to misinterpret - a highly plausible theory, by the way. That said, I am pretty confident that the original install did not succeed in pulling the storage folder into the new directory location. I, however, compounded that problem by overreacting with the various uninstalls and reinstalls - which now appear to be resolved.

    Thanks again,

    -PA
  • xxtraloud
    Is it safe to delete the old C:\Users\jon deer\AppData\Roaming\Zotero\Zotero\Profiles\ folder after I have migrated my library?
  • dstillman
    No, that's your Zotero profile directory, which stores settings, etc.

    There shouldn't be a 'zotero' data directory within it anymore, though.
  • xxtraloud
    But I can delete the 'storage' folder, right? Because now I have two storage folders.
  • dstillman
    edited July 17, 2017
    I don't know what you're referring to. There's a 'storage' directory within the Zotero data directory, which by default was 'zotero' within the profile directory (e.g., Zotero\Zotero\Profiles\aba4g6nw.default\zotero). If you've moved your data directory to c:\Users\<username>\Zotero, you can delete the 'zotero' directory within the profile directory. You shouldn't delete your profile directory itself.
  • xxtraloud
    @dstillman ok that makes sense, I got confused with the names. Thanks for the clarification.
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