Differences

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--- kb:newer_db_version [2010/01/07 16:12] – dstillman
+++ kb:newer_db_version [2019/10/03 00:23] (current) – dstillman
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 === Why am I getting a database version error? ===
+After reinstalling or downgrading Zotero, you may see the following error message when you you try to open Zotero:
-After reinstalling Zotero, you may see a yellow exclamation sign appear over the Zotero icon in the status bar and see one of the following messages when clicking on it:
+//This version of Zotero is older than the version last used with your database. Please upgrade to the latest version from zotero.org.//
-//Zotero user database version is newer than the SQL file.//
+This message results from trying to use a Zotero database from a later version of Zotero in an earlier version of the software. For example, if you installed Zotero 5.0 but then reinstalled Zotero 4.0.29.15, you would get this error. Most Zotero versions preserve backward database compatibility, but occasionally it's necessary for Zotero developers to make changes to the database that prevent it from working with previous versions.
-//This version of Zotero is older than the version last used with your database. Please upgrade to the latest version from zotero.org.//
-These messages result from trying to use a Zotero database from a later version of Zotero in an earlier version of the software. For example, if you previously installed Zotero 2.0 and later installed Zotero 1.0 into the same Firefox profile, you would get this error. This applies to minor versions as well, so installing Zotero 2.0b7.4 over Zotero 2.0b7.6, or a release version over a more recent development build, would produce the same error.
+The best solution is generally to reinstall the latest version of Zotero from [[/|zotero.org]]. (If you were using the Zotero Beta, you may need to reinstall the [[:dev_builds|latest beta build]].)
-The best solution is generally to reinstall the same version you were using previously---in most cases, this will simply require going to [[/|zotero.org]] and installing the latest available version. (If you were using a development build, you will need to install the [[dev:svn_and_trac_access#development_xpi|latest dev XPI]].)
+If for some reason you don't want to or are not able to install the latest version, you can restore the pre-upgrade database backup that Zotero stored in your [[:zotero data|Zotero data directory]]. Look for the zotero.sqlite.*.bak file with the highest number (e.g., zotero.sqlite.77.bak). Close Zotero, move your existing zotero.sqlite file out of the way, and then copy the numbered backup file into place as zotero.sqlite. Then restart Zotero.
-If you have a backup of your [[:zotero data|Zotero data directory]] from the previous version and would like to revert to that version, you can also, with Firefox closed, move your current Zotero data directory and replace it with the backup.
+If you don't have data you care about, or if you've fully synced your data and files with your online account, you can keep your current Zotero version by closing Zotero/Firefox, deleting your [[:zotero_data|Zotero data directory]] completely, and, optionally, syncing to restore your previous data.
-If you don't have data you care about, you can keep your current Zotero version by closing Firefox and deleting the Zotero data directory from your Firefox profile.
+**Previously, the most common cause of this error was having used Juris-M (formerly known as MLZ)**. The current version of that software no longer causes this. See [[https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/50443/multilinguale-version-von-zotero-mlz/?Focus=228336#Comment_228336|this post]] by Juris-M's developer on how to securely return to using regular Zotero.
-{{tag>kb}}
+{{tag>kb basics}}