Zotero update requires reboot (constantly)

netch
Dear community,
I have a problem with Zotero update on windows machine. Suppose it did autoupdate and now it is not working, as the icon changed and it requires constant reboot with a message:
"Your computer must be restarted to complete a previous upgrade of Zotero. Do you want to reboot now?"

Trying to install a new version from website results in the same message.
I suppose this is due to limited privileges for my PC user profile. I can elevate to admin, but not during the system is loading up.
I tried to search the forum, but didn't find the "updates" folder to delete nor I found proofs that it is a safe option to delete the zotero folder in this particular case.

What should i do?

Thanks in advance!
  • lykkja
    Thank you for reporting this. I have had the same problem a few months now.
  • netch
    You're welcome ;) Any ideas what can be done?
  • adamsmith
    I'd try uninstalling Zotero and then re-installing.
    This shouldn't affect your Zotero data folder, but do make sure that you have a back-up of that folder as you should always have (https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data )

    After uninstalling, make sure that all Zotero folders other than the data folder are actually deleted. If not, do so (yes, that's perfectly save)

    Then re-install.

    FWIW, you can install Zotero locally, without any admin privileges, simply by cancelling the Admin prompt during install. I don't think that's the issue here, but it would mean that you don't need Admin access for any of the Zotero-related features in the future.
  • netch
    Thank you very much for your comment and detailed instructions! I tried to uninstall it and unfortunately before it does anything it still asks me to reboot, so I'm locked in this never ending loop ;(

    Is it safe just to delete installation zotero folder and then try to install on top?
  • adamsmith
    Yes, anything but the data folder you can delete.
  • netch
    Ok, I deleted the folder from Program files, installed Zotero in different location which doesn't require admin rights. Seems to work, settings and library remained the same. Thanks for help!
  • bencekd
    I came here, after having the exact issue upon installing the new 64-bit version of Zotero 7. I really wanted to avoid re-installing (corp. laptop), so I've looked for alternative solutions, what worked for me is the following:

    1) go to you Local Zotero folder, should be "C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Zotero" by default
    2) here you'll find two files if the installation went alright: [1] zotero.exe, [2] zotero.exe.moz-update
    3) if you rename
    [1] zotero.exe -> zotero.exe.moz-unknown;
    [2] zotero.exe.moz-update -> zotero.exe
    4) you can run Zotero with the new 'zotero.exe' file

    This worked for me at least.
  • sorex
    Great, it worked for me. Thanks a lot @bencekd ! I was stuck in the update loop...
  • crowland86
    Thank you @bencekd! This worked for me as well! Was also stuck in a never ending reboot loop
  • michaelanthonyabril
    Thanks! Renaming worked.
  • adumusc
    Thank you. Same issue since update to 7.0.7 from version 6. It worked perfectly.
  • ponsky99
    Worked great (swaping names as bencekd proposed) for me as well (updated to version 7.0.7)
  • ellinghamso
    I have the same problem but not the files bencekd mentions anywhere on my drive. Can I just back up my library (on another pc) and delete the entire zotero catalogue structure? Or something else..?
  • dstillman
    @ellinghamso: This has nothing to do with your Zotero data.

    Have you tried reinstalling from the download page? As far as we know this should be fixed in the latest version. If not, tell us exactly what you're doing and what's happening.
  • ellinghamso
    @dstillman thank you for helping :-). Yes, tried that several times, get to dialogue box for choosing setup options and then the same error message pops up, don't get out of this loop...
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u6153813/oz2qmut3jmsf8oknmk5p.png
  • tnajdek
    @ellinghamso To help us investigate this problem further, could you please provide us with the following information:
    1. Can you confirm that you're running the latest installer from the download page? The installer name should be "Zotero-7.0.9_x64_setup.exe."
    2. Does your Windows account have Admin rights? If you go to Settings -> Accounts, it should say "Administrator" underneath your username.
    3. On some setups, there can be a popup when running the installer asking for the password of another (admin) user. Does this happen in your case?
    4. What is the path where Zotero was installed previously?
    5. What happens when you first try to uninstall the existing Zotero (from Settings -> Apps -> Installed Apps) and then run the installer?
    Once you've checked the above, you should be able to resolve this problem by removing the entire directory where Zotero was previously installed and running the installer again.
  • ellinghamso
    1. yes
    2. yes
    3. no
    4. windows>users>ellin>AppData>Local>Zotero
    5. I get the same error message as I click 'yes' to allow the app to make changes to my computer https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u6153813/gonbc3fqm1p0veqrnt60.png

    I deleted the entire directory as in 4. above, but same thing happens when I try to download and install Zotero....
  • tnajdek
    Thanks! The location you've listed is selected by the installer if it's running without admin privileges. I'd expect the installer to be able to upgrade. Could you confirm a few more things for me, please:
    1. When you run the installer, do you see a dialog asking if you want this app to make changes to the system?
    2. When you choose "Custom" instead of "Standard" in the installation dialog, what is the default path that appears in the next step?
    3. Is there a "Zotero" folder in either "C:\Program Files\" or "C:\Program Files (x86)"?
  • ellinghamso
    1. yes
    2. C:\Program Files\Zotero\
    3. yes, in both
  • tnajdek
    This is very unusual; somehow, your installation with admin privileges failed to complete, even after a reboot. We will see if we can address this in a future release.

    For now, if you remove the entire "C:\Program Files\Zotero\" directory and run the installer again, it should install Zotero correctly.
  • ellinghamso
    Could there be some witchcraft afoot here... I deleted the zotero directories both in Program Files and Program Files (x86), restarted and tried again with the same error message...
  • dstillman
    edited November 6, 2024
    If you paste %LOCALAPPDATA%\Zotero into the address bar in File Explorer (which should take you to AppData\Local\Zotero within your home folder), do you see a zotero.exe and other files in there?
  • ellinghamso
    No, no matches..
  • ellinghamso
    But a search of the entire disk found these which I deleted and now a new installation seems to work :-)
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u6153813/nj7upa9ju7o5tydgsngd.png
  • ellinghamso
    Now I was able to install zotero and add items, but when I try to add a citation to a Google doc I get this error message which doesn't go away
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u6153813/0s4vbr26bdyp3piks69q.png
  • dstillman
    But a search of the entire disk found these which I deleted and now a new installation seems to work
    Was that the complete list? The setup files wouldn't have been relevant. But C:\Programfiler is just the localized display name for C:\Program Files. You said you had deleted C:\Program Files\Zotero, though…
    when I try to add a citation to a Google doc I get this error message which doesn't go away
    Better to start a new thread for that. Make sure the citation dialog isn't just appearing behind your other windows. That's the most likely thing here.

    If you're sure it's not that, we would want a Debug ID for reproducing this after restarting Zotero.
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