I lost my whole Zotero library + "storage" folder after an update

rptr
After updating my work computer, I lost my entire Zotero library, including my "storage" folder. The IT department was able to restore the "storage" folder, which contained one 8-character subfolder. However, after rebooting, my Zotero library was still missing.

I don't know how to proceed at this point. I haven't created a backup yet because I don't want to risk further data loss, especially as some of it may still be missing. Is it common for data to be lost after an update if the computer is linked to an external server?
What should I do next?

Thank you in advance.
  • dstillman
    edited 2 days ago
    See Locating Missing Zotero Data to understand what to look for.

    1) They would need to restore one of the zotero.sqlite files. That's your database.

    2) A 'storage' folder with one subfolder wouldn't have been from the data directory you were actually using (unless you only had a single stored attachment and didn't use the built-in reader).

    The data loss wouldn't have anything to do with Zotero in particular. Zotero just reads the zotero.sqlite file at startup. If something happens to it, your library will be empty. (I'm not sure what "linked to an external server" means, though.)
  • rptr
    edited yesterday at 9:35am
    I have actually already visited the site. I'm not sure I fully understand what to do here. It says, "If you see only 1 MB or 5 MB zotero.sqlite files, look in the 'storage' folder, if one exists, for folders with dates corresponding with your previous usage of Zotero". That's why I thought I could restore my files by accessing the "storage" folder, since my .sqlite.bak file from the relevant date is only 1.18 MB in size. However, I must have misunderstood something, because the IT department has already restored everything they could, and my library is still empty, so I assume that my data has been lost.

    I have only been using Zotero for a few weeks, so I am still becoming familiar with how the program works.
  • tim820
    edited today at 1:09am
    Re 'The IT department was able to restore the "storage" folder' (which we assume is the Zotero\storage folder), you actually want them to restore the data folder (Zotero) from your computer before the update - that is, the *parent* folder of that storage folder.

    The Zotero folder is your data folder, where your original sqlite database would have been. Restoring that would also include *all* the other folders in it, one of which is the storage folder.
    https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#locating_your_zotero_data

    Normally before making any significant changes to your computer, an IT department would back up everything that might be affected. Like your whole Zotero data folder.

    If they have done that, restoring your data would follow the instructions also on that page ...
    https://www.zotero.org/support/zotero_data#restoring_your_zotero_data_from_a_backup
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