Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file error

zeltak
Hi all

all of a sudden i cant open zotero and and get this message
"Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file"

I can get to the options menu and then select the default firefox location (my database is on another drive) and then zotero does open yet with a new empty database

can anyone help?

thx in advance

Zeltak
«1
  • dstillman
    You're most likely trying to use a database from the 1.5 Sync Preview in a 1.0 build, or a newer 1.5 trunk build in the Sync Preview. Once you upgrade a database, you can't go back.
  • klopter
    I get this same error message when I try to use Zotero on my Mac.

    I installed Zotero and Zotero sync on my PC but when I tried to do the same on my Mac I don't get the Zotero logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

    I have tried various combinations of zotero 1.0.7 and zotero 1.5 sync preview but no luck.
  • klopter
    Good news, with Zotero 1.5-sync2.1 I can get into Zotero using shift-ctrl-Z. I still don't get the Zotero logo in the bottom right hand corner, but now that I have another way to get that functionality, I don't care. BTW, I checked my user preferences, it is set to display zotero below web content. I tried asking it to display the logo above web content but that did not work either.

    PS I am using Firefox 3.0.1 on a Mac.
    PPS I live in Oberlin. I saw Simon at an event the other day and my wife told me that I was standing next to Zotero. Instead of asking him about Zotero I decided I would give it a try. It is slick and I think it will be quite useful to me.
  • dstillman
    You might want to make sure the Status Bar is enabled under the View menu and that Zotero is set in the Zotero prefs to display an icon. If those are both the case, try disabling your other Firefox extensions.
  • nomedia
    The same thing happened to me.
    After spending a while, I found that I was using Zotero 1.5 with sync function for my PC.
    So I manually found Zotero 1.5 for my Mac, and upgraded it.
    It works fine.
  • klopter
    Now I get this message on my PC as well.

    I suspect that the problem is that I once installed zotero sync and now I can't get back to the original Zotero.

    I tried to go back to the original Zotero because the Zotero word extensions refused to connect to firefox.
  • RintzeRintze
    I suspect that the problem is that I once installed zotero sync and now I can't get back to the original Zotero.
    As mentioned at the link below, installing the Zotero Sync Preview will irrevocably upgrade your Zotero database.
    http://www.zotero.org/support/sync_preview#requirements
    because the Zotero word extensions refused to connect to firefox.
    Did you also install the new Word plugins that were made available for the Sync Preview?
    http://www.zotero.org/support/sync_preview#word_processor_plugins
  • stevepowell99
    All of a sudden i have the same error message, using zotero 1.0.9 on ubuntu. I haven't been using the sync preview. One minute it was working, I closed firefox (3.0.5) and then opened firefox and got the error. Any ideas?
  • richardfellows
    This query should have been posted here:
    A few months ago I upgraded to Zotero 1.5 and the migration was fine.
    Today 28 Feb 09 Firefox upgraded to 3.0.6 and Zotero has comprehensively disappeared. It initially appeared with just the Quick Start Guide showing and on trying again the message 'Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file' appeared in a window and the Zotero icon has a yellow exclaimation mark on it. I have both my pre- and post Zotero 1.5 files but now don't seem to be able to get to either of them. A mild sense of alarm is developing.
    Any solutions gratefully received.
    RAF
  • richardfellows
    As Dan mentions above, my mistake was too confuse the formats. I compounded this by my habit of creating my archive files with the name format YYMMDDzotero.sqlite. As you all know if it's to be used again ,the file needs to be renamed zotero.sqlite.

    End of my unnecessary post.
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  • david22
    I also have been getting the same error message of Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file. I installed version 1.0.9 in Firefox 3.0.7 on a Mac running OSX 10.5.6 with Word version 11.5.3. I have read the various posts and I have uninstalled all the plug-ins, I have uninstalled and reinstalled zotero, I have run the Mac disk utility, I have reinstalled Firefox, I have checked the preferences and checked the translators. I have not used Zotero previously so there are no old data bases or older versions. The icon sits in the corner of the browser with a yellow exclamation mark. Is it a problem with java, with the installation or with the new version of Firefox? I didn't install version 1.5 because of the version of Word I am using. Any suggestions would be most welcome.
  • david22
    The problem seems to be with the version of Firefox because I have installed 1.5 and it works but it is not much use with the version of Word I have. Oh well I will have to wait and see.
  • dstillman
    The problem seems to be with the version of Firefox because I have installed 1.5 and it works but it is not much use with the version of Word I have
    No, it has nothing to do with the Firefox version. It results from trying to use a database from a later version of Zotero in an earlier version.

    You were likely using a database from either a 1.5 preview/beta build or a recent 1.0 dev build. The latest 1.5 beta is later than either of these, which is why it works. 1.0.9 is earlier, which is why you got this message.
  • david22
    It results from trying to use a database from a later version of Zotero in an earlier version.

    But when I installed 1.0.9 it was the first time I had installed Zotero. There was no earlier version or data base on my computer to create a conflict .
  • dstillman
    But when I installed 1.0.9 it was the first time I had installed Zotero. There was no earlier version or data base on my computer to create a conflict .
    That's pretty much impossible. You may have accidentally installed the 1.5 Beta first before installing 1.0.9. If you don't have any data, you can just delete your Zotero data directory.
  • david22
    edited March 20, 2009
    A digital mystery solved. Thanks for your help Dan. All that matters now is that it is sitting there waiting for me to launch it into action.
  • ajadad
    Thanks for your help, Dan. I may be one step away from solving the same problem. However, I do not know how to delete the data directory.
  • noksagt
    However, I do not know how to delete the data directory.
    Locate the directory in your file manager (explorer/finder/etc.) by following the instructions that Dan posted:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#locating_your_zotero_library
    Close firefox. Then delete the directory you found as you would delete any other directory on your system. Open firefox.
  • ajadad
    Voila! Many thanks.
  • gcomstock@ncsu.edu
    edited April 1, 2009
    I am in the same boat as david22 except that i have several hundred references in Zotero and cannot afford to solve the problem by deleting the data directory. I'm using Windows XP, upgraded to Firefox 3.0.6 and then to Zotero 1.5. Zotero now fails, giving me this error message: 'Zotero user data DB version is newer than SQL file'. The Zotero icon has a yellow exclamation mark on it. I did not back up my pre- Zotero 1.5 data file.

    I have uninstalled all the plug-ins, I have uninstalled and reinstalled zotero, I have uninstalled and reinstalled Firefox 3, and then replaced it with Firefox 2. No luck. Dan, can you --or someone--help please?
  • gcomstock@ncsu.edu
    I reinstalled Firefox 3 and Zotero 1.5 to insure I didn't lose my data. I didn't. The only problem now seems to be with MS Office Word. When I want to insert a reference, I click on the Zotero icon in Word 2003. I get this error message:

    "This version of the zotero Word plugin (1.0b3) is incompatible with the ucrrrently installed version of the Zotero Firefox extension (1.5b2). Please ensure you are using the latest versions of both components."

    Is the problem in Word?
  • noksagt
    Is the problem in Word?
    No. The problem is that you're trying to mix the beta Firefox extension with the Word plugin for the stable version of Zotero. If you want to use the beta extension, you must also use the newer Word plugin:
    http://www.zotero.org/support/1.5_beta#microsoft_word
  • glcomstock2
    Problem solved. Many many thanks, noksagt.
  • idcolvin
    Hi,
    I seem to have the problem described above - or a related one. I've installed Zotero 1.5b (first time on this machine, nothing previously installed) have imported a fair few items from library catalogues, and have then installed the sync preview. After restarting Firefox 3.08 I get the error described. I'm running on Linux (Eeebuntu on an Asus Aspire One 150) and am confused to find references to backing up Windows and Mac in the link Dan suggested above, but nothing for Linux. Where would I look for my data in Ubuntu? (The program is supposed to work in Linux isn't it?)

    The only thing I wonder if I've absent-mindedly done (I'll be perfectly honest, I can't remember if I did this or not, but I've been racking my brains for things I might have done to cause this & I remember looking at it) is installed the Word for Windows installer. Would it have let me do that on a Linux machine? Would it account for these symptoms? If so, how do I uninstall it?
    Thanks for any help you can offer.
    Ian
  • noksagt
    I've installed Zotero 1.5b....and have then installed the sync preview.
    Zotero 1.5b2 is the current version of the sync preview. It sounds like you installed an older version of zotero over it (and you probably don't want to be using the older version; if not, install 1.5b2).
    confused to find references to backing up Windows and Mac in the link Dan suggested above, but nothing for Linux. Where would I look for my data in Ubuntu?
    As per that page, zotero will tell you what directory it is using. By default, it is ~/.mozilla/firefox/[randomstring].default/zotero.
  • idcolvin
    Noksagt, thank you very much for your answer. Installing 1.5b2 did indeed fix the issue. I presume the current version must have changed between my installing 1.5 some days ago & sync yesterday evening. (I wonder why the sync installer can't/doesn't check the version before installing?) Am now happily syncing and very grateful to you.

    I reread that page and followed the link to the Firefox profiles, which does indeed explain where to find the data. Thanks for being explicit in your answer, though. I was confused because the part of the page under the heading 'Locating your zotero library' gives the explicit location for windows and mac, but strangely makes no mention of Linux.

    Very much looking forward to using zotero between a couple of machines now.
  • noksagt
    I presume the current version must have changed between my installing 1.5 some days ago & sync yesterday evening.
    Where did you download the sync installer from? It may be that you either inadvertently download the non-sync stable version or that you downloaded an older copy of the sync alpha/beta. If the latter, it might help to fix the page where you found it.
    (I wonder why the sync installer can't/doesn't check the version before installing?)
    Firefox will cheerfully downgrade any extension if you ask it to.
    I was confused because the part of the page under the heading 'Locating your zotero library' gives the explicit location for windows and mac, but strangely makes no mention of Linux.
    I've added the information to the wiki. (It may have been neglected if the author of that page just didn't know or assumed that the minority of people who do use it on Linux would be able to find it easily. However, I think that in some non-mozilla installers (which are more common in different Linux distros) & in some "weird" distros of Linux, the directory may actually be elsewhere.)
  • idcolvin
    I downloaded the sync-preview from the link on this page: http://www.zotero.org/support/sync_preview
    which downloads this: http://www.zotero.org/download/zotero-1.5-sync3.8.xpi

    Previously I had installed Zotero 1.5 from the link on the Zotero home page (I think).

    I think what must have happened is that the copy of Zotero I downloaded a few days ago was older than the copy that sync_preview expected. Did the current version change in recent days? (I had installed it some days earlier, so I figure perhaps the current edition went up between that & my downloading sync-preview.) But I'll be very happy if I can help you track down a problem. I'm impressed by your rapid editing of the wiki, now much less confusing. I'd forgotten that different distros might hide things in different places. And that people often expect Linux users to be more technically competent. (I'm not! I just like free and open source software.)

    Thanks once again for your very helpful responses.
  • dstillman
    The 1.5 Sync Preview predated the Zotero 1.5 Beta. I've removed that wiki page (which shouldn't be linked to from anywhere other than old forum posts) and redirected it to the 1.5 Beta page.
  • idcolvin
    Thanks, Dan. Now I understand what I did wrong!
This discussion has been closed.