Knowledge Base

Having trouble getting your Project Zomboid server up and running on Pterodactyl? The culprit might be the automatic backup feature. This blog post will guide you through two ways to fix the server startup issue caused by backups.

The Problem: Too Many Backups

The server logs might point to a problem with the backup functionality. This is likely due to Project Zomboid's in-game backup settings. Even if you have enough disk space, the server might be restricted from creating new backups due to a limit set in the configuration.

Here's what could be happening:

• Your server settings are configured to not allow new backups even if space is available.
• The default setting might limit the number of backups to 5, and you've already reached that limit.

The Fix: Two Approaches

There are two ways to get your server running again:

Option 1: Disable Automatic Backups

1. Access your Pterodactyl panel > Files and navigate to your Project Zomboid server settings.
2. Locate the file named server.ini (or similar) within the /home/container/.cache/Server directory. You might need to edit the file path depending on your panel setup.
3. Edit the server.ini file. Look for a line that says BackupsOnStart=true.
4. Change the value to BackupsOnStart=false.
5. Save the changes to the server.ini file.
6. Restart your server.

This will disable automatic backups on startup, allowing your server to launch successfully.

Option 2: Delete Old Backups

1. Follow steps 1 and 2 from Option 1 to access your server's files.
2. Navigate to the /home/container/.cache/backups/startup directory.
3. Here, you'll find existing backup files. By default, only 5 backups are allowed, but you might see fewer depending on your settings.
4. Delete some of the older backup files (if you're comfortable doing so).
5. Restart your server.

This will free up space for a new backup to be created on startup, resolving the issue.