Zotero 7 Sync Issues

wtagg
Hello,

I've been using Zotero for several years now and have had no real issues until the last month or so. Since I installed Zotero 7, I've been experiencing issues with file syncing and location that seem to be difficult to disentangle.

My OS, Zotero version, and most recent error report are below.

Windows 11
Zotero 7.0.9 (64-bit)
Report ID: 846339671

The problems I seem to be having right now are:

1. File syncing doesn't seem to be working. The Zotero 7 Windows 11 client reports errors each time.
2. No items are updating to my Zotero account online. I have the 2GB plan and am still well under that storage limit.
3. Many of my attachments are linked files that have lost their location. It's possible to manually restore these attachments though.

I've read both the guidance on reporting problems (https://www.zotero.org/support/reporting_problems) and the guidance on troubleshooting file syncing (https://www.zotero.org/support/kb/files_not_syncing) but I'm still unsure about the best next steps to take.

I'd like to work through the problem, step-by-step so that I don't lose my citations, PDFs and stored files, and other related tagging information.

Thank you,

Will

  • dstillman
    Can you provide a Debug ID (different from a Report ID) for a sync that produces an error?

    Note that you have your Zotero data directory in a very unusual location, and that could be causing problems.
  • wtagg
    Hello,

    The Debug ID is below.

    Debug ID: D418348581

    It's true that I created a custom Zotero data directory in Google Drive with an odd naming convention. But it seemed to be working until about a month ago.

    I appreciate your help. My goal is to get everything synced to Zotero without any missing attachments or data and without any custom locations.

    Will
  • adamsmith
    Putting the data directory in a cloud folder (i.e. GDrive, Box, Dropbox, etc.) is almost always a bad idea. Why are you doing that?
  • wtagg
    Thanks, adamsmith. It was an attempt to locate my data directory adjacent to the linked files that I stored in Google Drive.

    In Zotero 7, there is a setting, Edit > Settings > Advanced > Data Directory Location > Revert to Default Location, that I have considered using. But I was unsure if changing this would make matters worse since I wasn't sure about the cause of the problem yet.

    If you have suggestion about this (or anything else) I would appreciate reading it.
  • adamsmith
    Yeah, you should revert. I think you'll have to (before restarting Zotero) also have to move your data folder over to the default location, otherwise Zotero will start up empty.
  • wtagg
    Done. That was pretty straightforward. But the syncing errors still persist. I see examples like this:

    Could not remove the file at C:\Users\wtmon\Zotero\storage\VZGDQUCG

    When I inspect the folder location, it's empty. The files all seem to be in the Google Drive directory I was using when I was linking the files. As I mentioned in the initial post, they can be manually re-added.
  • dstillman
    Linked files wouldn't have anything to do syncing, since linked files don't sync.

    Can you provide a new Debug ID for a sync attempt that produces an error?
  • wtagg
    Hello @dstillman, thank you for following up with me. After switching both computers I use to Edit > Settings > Sync > File Syncing > Sync attachment files in My Library using Zotero, things improved considerably. However, I'm still seeing some errors upon startup and sync with one device (laptop).

    I've just tried to replicate the error and have a debug ID below.

    D240070165

    Thank you for your help!
  • dstillman
    edited November 8, 2024
    [JavaScript Error: "Could not remove the file at C:\Users\[…]\Zotero\storage\LBWLRS2S"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Download request 1/LXAM6KYD failed"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Could not remove the file at C:\Users\[…]\Zotero\storage\LXAM6KYD"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Download request 1/MWFRXWLF failed"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Could not remove the file at C:\Users\[…]\Zotero\storage\MWFRXWLF"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Download request 1/N75N32U2 failed"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Could not remove the file at C:\Users\[…]\Zotero\storage\N75N32U2"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Download request 1/NFTCNIHX failed"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Could not remove the file at C:\Users\[…]\Zotero\storage\NFTCNIHX"]

    [JavaScript Error: "Download request 1/P9BGHXFZ failed"]
    Something is preventing Zotero from deleting folders in your Zotero data directory, which it does as part of downloading files. I'd guess that this is due to some third-party security software you have installed.

    Do the above folders currently exist?
  • wtagg
    Hello @dstillman

    Thank you for your continued help. I can confirm that the above folders do exist. My most recent sync error report is below.

    Report ID: 107148581

    Your guess regarding third-party security software could make sense. However, the only third-party security software I have is a VPN. And I can't understand why a VPN would prevent Zotero from removing folders on the folder path under my Windows user account.

    I would be grateful for any other suggestions you have.

    Will
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