Upgrade StorageAround 20% of files missing after changing computer
Hi!
In February 2024, I got a new computer from my employer, and returned my old one. Before doing so, I made sure my Zotero library was synced, as well as making a manual backup. The manual backup folder consists of a single .rdf file titled "Zotero Library 240207.rdf" as well as a folder labeled "files" containing 813 folders mostly containing PDFs (although some contain a throve of files, perhaps when I've saved a webpage to Zotero?). These folders are numbered, but not entirely consistently.
I use Zotero Sync, and I have unlimited storage through my employer's institutional plan.
Unfortunately, I've now discovered that a large amount of files are missing from my library (local and online). All files added before March 31st 2022 are there, as are all files added after February 8th 2024 (which is when I changed computer). I have no idea why the cut off date is late March 2022. I am not sure of the exact number of missing files, but likely around 250-300 files.
Is there any way to get the missing files back (i.e., those added between March 31st 2022 - February 8th 2024), without having to manually go through all the 813 folders in search of missing files?
Questions asked in the Zotero documentation:
- The names, sizes, and dates of all files beginning with “zotero.sqlite” in your current data directory:
1. "zotero.sqlite", 62 048 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
2. "zotero.sqlite.bak", 64 412 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
3. "zotero.sqlite.1.bak", 64 412 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
4. "zotero.sqlite.102.bak", 1 064 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
5. "zotero.sqlite-journal", 62 178 kB, created April 29, 2024
- Whether there's a 'storage' folder containing subfolders with dates corresponding to your previous usage of Zotero
Yes, such a folder exists. However, the oldest subfolder was created on Feb 8, 2024.
- Whether your current data directory is in the default location (“Zotero” in your home folder)
Yes, it is in "C:\Users\[my user name]\Zotero".
- When you last used Zotero on this computer, and what happened on your computer since then
Today. Everything works as it should, except that files are missing from my library.
- What you've tried so far
Trying to make sense of where the files have gone, without much luck.
Thanks!
Best regards,
Nora
In February 2024, I got a new computer from my employer, and returned my old one. Before doing so, I made sure my Zotero library was synced, as well as making a manual backup. The manual backup folder consists of a single .rdf file titled "Zotero Library 240207.rdf" as well as a folder labeled "files" containing 813 folders mostly containing PDFs (although some contain a throve of files, perhaps when I've saved a webpage to Zotero?). These folders are numbered, but not entirely consistently.
I use Zotero Sync, and I have unlimited storage through my employer's institutional plan.
Unfortunately, I've now discovered that a large amount of files are missing from my library (local and online). All files added before March 31st 2022 are there, as are all files added after February 8th 2024 (which is when I changed computer). I have no idea why the cut off date is late March 2022. I am not sure of the exact number of missing files, but likely around 250-300 files.
Is there any way to get the missing files back (i.e., those added between March 31st 2022 - February 8th 2024), without having to manually go through all the 813 folders in search of missing files?
Questions asked in the Zotero documentation:
- The names, sizes, and dates of all files beginning with “zotero.sqlite” in your current data directory:
1. "zotero.sqlite", 62 048 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
2. "zotero.sqlite.bak", 64 412 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
3. "zotero.sqlite.1.bak", 64 412 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
4. "zotero.sqlite.102.bak", 1 064 kB, created Feb 8, 2024
5. "zotero.sqlite-journal", 62 178 kB, created April 29, 2024
- Whether there's a 'storage' folder containing subfolders with dates corresponding to your previous usage of Zotero
Yes, such a folder exists. However, the oldest subfolder was created on Feb 8, 2024.
- Whether your current data directory is in the default location (“Zotero” in your home folder)
Yes, it is in "C:\Users\[my user name]\Zotero".
- When you last used Zotero on this computer, and what happened on your computer since then
Today. Everything works as it should, except that files are missing from my library.
- What you've tried so far
Trying to make sense of where the files have gone, without much luck.
Thanks!
Best regards,
Nora
1) This doesn't appear to be about "files" — it's about items. I'm afraid it looks like you just weren't uploading any data to your personal library between October 2022 and February 2024. Your Zotero does seem to have been connecting to the sync servers, but you were either getting some error — which would've resulted in an error icon in the Zotero toolbar — or you had accidentally disabled syncing of your personal library, leaving only group libraries syncing. I'd guess the latter. Zotero will warn if auto-sync is disabled, but it doesn't currently warn if you disable syncing for a given library.
2) An export isn't a backup. If you have an actual backup of your Zotero data, you can easily recover the data from that. With just an export, you could reimport that, but you'll end up with duplicates of all items before and after that time period (but with reset Date Added values, so no way to easily delete them), and any links to existing citations in word processor documents will be lost. You can manually merge the duplicates after merging or use a plugin that will do so in batch.
Regarding restoring the missing items, I understand your answer as essentially saying: I have to manually add the files from the export I did before changing computer.
Thanks!