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DNS Server Error

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MrPhil:
You've lost your Settings.php file (it's empty). Likely you had a bunch of database errors and the horrendous bug in SMF caused that file to be emptied out. Hopefully you have a good backup, or Settings_bak.php still has data. If so, copy Settings_bak.php over the empty Settings.php file. Then make Settings.php read-only (444 permissions) so it can't be overwritten again. You should be back in business.

ladydisturbedone:
Uhmmmmmmmmmmm in idiot terms please and where do I do that at?

MrPhil:
Go into your hosting control panel to the File Manager. Navigate to the directory (folder) where SMF lives (typically .../public_html/ or .../public_html/forum/). Look at the size of Settings.php. It's probably 0 bytes (empty). Look for the file Settings_bak.php in the same directory. If it's not 0 bytes, use the File Manager to copy Settings_bak.php over Settings.php. You will likely be asked for confirmation (to overwrite what was in Settings.php). Usually the procedure will be to select (click on) the file name Settings_bak.php, and then select the "copy" operation. It will hopefully ask you where and under what name to copy it to. If you can't figure out how to do it, ask your host's tech support. Once you have stuff in Settings.php, see if you can make it "Read Only" to keep this from happening again. You would select Settings.php and then the Permissions operation. This varies by control panel, but you'll want to select either "r--r--r--" (read for all three) or "444". Again, your tech support can tell you how.

If Settings_bak.php is also 0 bytes, you've got problems. Do you or your host have a backup that you could restore Settings.php from? If not, you will have to download the "repair_settings.php" utility from this site and recreate your Settings.php, including the file paths, database user name and password, and a bunch of other stuff. Someone familiar with the server will have to help you with this.

Wouldn't it have been so much easier if the SMF developers had fixed this problem like I told them to years ago?

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