My Zotero files disappeared from Macbook and Web Library

EduardoVerdugo01
Tras renovar mi cuenta ilimitada, desaparecieron todos mis archivos de Zotero en la biblioteca en linea y también en mi biblioteca del computador.
Sólo están las entradas de los títulos y descripción no están los archivos.

After renewing my unlimited account, all my Zotero files disappeared from the online library and also from my computer library.
Only the title and description entries are there, not the files.


https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u9246125/o8olutg0gux7wogaiar4.png
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u9246125/nhamdvlix1dz7murdfmf.png
https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u9246125/v720mgv06d0mbhh2qxy7.png
  • dstillman
    Files would only be removed from the online library if you ran "Purge Storage in My Library" from the storage settings page. I assume you did that by mistake while renewing your storage.

    Files would never be removed from a computer where they already existed. There's literally no code to even do that. So if files are missing that were available previously, you deleted them outside of Zotero or changed the data directory without moving files. But if you have Zotero set to only download files as needed, you'd only have files you opened previously on this computer, since other files are no longer available online. You can search for PDFs within the 'storage' folder in your Zotero data directory to see what files actually exist locally.

    If you still have the files on another computer, you can use Reset File Sync History from the Sync → Reset pane of the Zotero settings, which will cause that Zotero to restore the files. If you don't have the files on another computer, and you did this recently, we can try to automatically reassociate the files you purged.
  • dstillman
    (And it looks like this is an external drive, so you very easily could've changed the data directory setting without moving the complete folder.)
  • EduardoVerdugo01
    I think you're right, I must have mistakenly pressed delete when I wanted to change the payment method.

    Yes, is an external drive

    The files are apparently on the external drive (there are more than six thousand of them), but they are not linked, it's as if they didn't exist, but I found them as PDFs.

    I reset the history and nothing happened, supposedly it doesn't exist.

    The accident happened in the morning when I renewed.

    How can we fix it? Can you do it online or do I have to rewrite something in the link to the database directory?
  • dstillman
    No, there's no concept of "linking" with stored files. It's either the same data directory you were using before or it's not.

    Zotero tells you exactly where it's looking when you try to open a file, as you can see in your screenshot above. That file doesn't exist. So where exactly are you seeing that file? (Don't change anything at this point.)
  • EduardoVerdugo01
    HI,Hello, sorry for not answering later, but there is a time difference.

    I found the files in another Zotero folder on the same external disk.

    The folder that is the data directory is:

    Volumes/TOSHIBA EXT/Zotero/storage/

    but there is another one that I think is old, which is:

    Volumes/TOSHIBA EXT/VARIOSTESIS
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/zotero.org/images/forums/u9246125/lhcajuouwysvwrlwibhg.png
    /Zotero/storage/

    There are files that are in both folders with the same identifier, but most are in the second one (several theses)

    What can I do?? Do I join the folders as one??

    Is it possible for you to reconstruct the files remotely?
  • dstillman
    You just need to choose the correct folder (/Volumes/TOSHIBA EXT/VARIOSTESIS/Zotero) from the Advanced → Files and Folders section of the Zotero settings, where you configured this originally. You can delete the other one once you're sure you have everything.
  • adamsmith
    I'd just try merging the storage folders (at the location Zotero is currently looking) yes. Good chance that'll just work to restore the files.
  • dstillman
    I wouldn't start with merging. OSes don't do deep merges by default, and you could have a folder without an attachment in one but not the other and end up with missing attachments.
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