Error code - 36

sschindl
On a Mac using Firefox 4.01 and Zotero 2.1.6

I tried to copy my zotero.sqlite file to backup on an external hard drive unsuccessfully - and got the following error message. "The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “zotero.sqlite” can’t be read or written. (Error code – 36)"

Checked forums and could not find this error code or error message.

I then checked database integrity and got the following message. "Failed. Errors were found in the Zotero database! You can use the database repair tool at http://zotero.org/utils/dbfix to attempt to correct these errors."

Went to the "Zotero Database Repair Tool" to see if I could repair this problem - and in "Upload Zotero database", it says "Max file size 100MB). The problem is my zotero.sqlite file is very large - almost 800 MB - and I can't compress the file to 100MB.

Also, it says here "To use this tool, first locate the zotero.sqlite file in your Zotero data directory, close Firefox, and make a copy of the file." And of course I can't do that because I can't copy the file in the first place.

Then I went to "manual repair instructions" for advanced users - it discusses putting in a series of commands in Terminal. But I am afraid to do this without backing up the zotero.sqlite file first.

So my questions:
1) Is it important to understand "Error code - 36"?
2) Is it safe to repair the database without backing up first?
3) If it is not safe, are there any recommendations as to how to get around this problem so I can backup my zotero.sqlite file?
  • dstillman
    edited May 27, 2011
    That's a Finder error code, not a Zotero error code, so really that's a question for a Mac forum or Google. (Leave out the '-' when searching on Google, though.)

    Given that your database is corrupt, I would recommend verifying your disk integrity in Disk Utility, since bad blocks are apparently one cause of that error.
    The problem is my zotero.sqlite file is very large - almost 800 MB
    zotero.sqlite itself—not the entire 'zotero' directory'—is 800MB?
  • sschindl
    Thanks for responding so quickly.

    And thanks for explaining the error code issue.

    I'll verify disk integrity next...

    Yes, the zotero.sqlite file is that large! I use it to save many 12s of webpages every day. I've done this for about two years now. Might this have something to do with the problem?
  • dstillman
    That's very large—and it'd all be from your full-text index—but no, that alone won't cause database corruption (which you should never get).
  • sschindl
    Okay - I'll investigate the Finder error code and verify disk integrity.
    But any guess as to whether it is safe to attempt to repair the database afterward?
  • dstillman
    If you fix the disk integrity, you should be able to make a backup.

    The -36 error indicates a lower-level problem than Zotero, so there's no point in fixing the database until you fix that.
  • sschindl
    Great - thanks for the explanations and help.

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