[hijinx]

any idea what the corrective action would be?

[hijinx]

maybe there are some tables i can replace with default tables that won't cause data loss but will help me out here?

[hijinx]

really? all tables are vital?

[Norv]

First, since this is about paths, please make sure you try the following two: run repair_settings.php (What is repair_settings.php?) if you didn't already and make sure all paths are appropriate for your installation. Even if you didn't change them now, please use "save settings".
Then, please check out Themes and Layout settings, specifically the custom themes paths: does any of them seem inappropriate for your installation? Use "reset all paths" eventually.

Does this only happen on a custom theme or does it happen on the default theme?

Also, please make a screenshot with the error page, with the address in the address bar visible if possible.

[hijinx]

repair_settings.php was tried earlier in the thread to no avail. all paths are correct, including those in theme settings. as a reminder, the same installation works fine when pointed to a different database.

the error it gives is a 404 error, which my site handles simply by sending you back to the main page (ie, my 404 page is a redirection page), so a screenshot wouldn't do much. the URLs were posted earlier in this thread. only you can substitute the  "http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix/" part with "http://pix.hijinx.nu" since my nameservers are now resolving. the old links are still functioning though.

[LexArma]

repair_settings.php was tried earlier in the thread to no avail. all paths are correct, including those in theme settings. as a reminder, the same installation works fine when pointed to a different database.

Just a thought, but have you tried running upgrade.php on the database?
If you haven't, it _could_ help us a bit on this, if nothing else it might provide a more verbose error message.
( If you try this, do backup your database in advance. )

[hijinx]

Yes, I started having these problems out of nowhere back when I was using RC 1.1, I figured upgrading to 1.2 would take care of it, unfortnuately it didn't.  :\

[hijinx]

anyone had the chance to look into this? i'm completely baffled.

[Norv]

I would at least to try to reduce the number of errors in the web server error log, to avoid cluttering the view with insignificant errors, then perhaps we can notice a more relevant one.
For example, see the many errors like :

[Fri Oct 09 03:29:17 2009] [error] [client 76.173.151.192] File does not exist: /home/hijinx/public_html/pix/Themes/default/images/post/cool.gif, referer: http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix/index.php?board=1.0

It seems that the default theme does not have all files that your forum and mods need, for example some mod might search for a file named "cool.gif", for using it (possibly) on the Post page. You might want to reinstall the mod or otherwise make sure the needed files of it are there.

You might also find useful to disable the redirection you seem to say you have set for the 404 error, please just let it be, and when it happens, tell the URL in the address bar, and perhaps the complete message too.

[hijinx]

those errors were from when I just moved hosts. those issues are resolved now, i just had to upload the images to the new server. The ban function, error log, an IP tracker would never need those images anyway, they're just post icons.

The URLs that give a 404 error are the ones i posted. 404 errors are pretty specific, there wouldn't be additional information provided for them other than "page not found."

[Norv]

So you're saying that the error log snippet you posted previously on this thread is outdated ? Then please post another one, when trying the functions with the problems.

As for the rest: please provide the information asked for, concerning the page you get, its full error message and the URL it complains about. A screenshot could be useful, a full copy paste, something. Please also provide information about what redirections you have defined on your forum directory, if any, and eventually unset them, to see if the problem still persist.
It's practically not possible for a standard SMF that the admin pages, if they have the expected URL, that is, forum URL with some action, to give a 404 by itself. I suspect it's trying to get something else, some other page before answering to your browser. And that doesn't happen without leaving a trace. It has to be in the log, as an error, or in the access log, as a request for another page, or on the error page with the address it's complaining about, or all of them.

So: please access the URLs that error out and then post here the error log entries (or attach the error log for that day).
Post here the full content of the page with the 404 error, including the visible URL in the address bar and the URL it complains about.
Tell us what redirections are defined for your forum, be it in your host cpanel or with .htaccess files or any other means (PHP functions for redirecting?) you may have used.

[hijinx]

i'm not too sure how to make this more clear, sorry if i'm explaining it poorly - my 404 pages are redirect pages, via .htaccess. when a 404 is recieved, it sends the user to my main site index. if i posted the 404 page, you would be looking at my index page. it's basically a custom 404 page. does that make sense? again, i'm sorry if i'm being unclear; i'm at a loss for a better explanation of it.

as far as the direct URLs, those have been posted above. here they are again:

for logs: http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix/index.php?action=admin;area=logs;a959e1b03=a5abdac3634256bc89827a80dfa1b330
for IP tracking: http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix/index.php?action=profile;area=tracking;sa=ip;searchip=68.110.94.223;u=4128
for "ban this user" function: http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix/index.php?action=admin;area=ban;sa=add;u=6124

you can also replace the http://gator1046.hostgator.com/~hijinx/pix portion with http://pix.hijinx.nu to get to the same place now that my nameservers are resolving.

for the description from my error logs, it's a typical 404 error, nothing special. the most recent:

[Wed Nov 04 19:23:17 2009] [error] [client 151.151.73.163] File does not exist

[LexArma]

I think if it ends up in the server error log as 404, then something is either actually missing - or permissions or ownership on something is messed up - OR your forum is for some reason searching for something that isn't even supposed to be there....

[Sordell Media]

I'm certainly no SMF expert, but I've seen in some browsers for other sites, a 404 error will be generated if the page cannot load an included JS file (might also apply to other external files included in the output). Have you checked to make sure all the files in /themes/default uploaded correctly? (not sure if perhaps these admin features use a shared/common JS file that could be the root cause of this?)

[Norv]

i'm not too sure how to make this more clear, sorry if i'm explaining it poorly - my 404 pages are redirect pages, via .htaccess. when a 404 is recieved, it sends the user to my main site index. if i posted the 404 page, you would be looking at my index page. it's basically a custom 404 page. does that make sense? again, i'm sorry if i'm being unclear; i'm at a loss for a better explanation of it.

It is. I wonder what it complains about in case you will consider removing the redirection, and see the message.

for the description from my error logs, it's a typical 404 error, nothing special. the most recent:

[Wed Nov 04 19:23:17 2009] [error] [client 151.151.73.163] File does not exist

What file does not exist? It should say there a little more, I think.
Please consider posting the error log for a day when you accessed the problematic functions.

ETA: I think Sordell Media is right, could be one or more of those files. If I remember correctly, I saw 404 reported because of missing theme files.

[hijinx]

the theme works fine when i point it to a different, freshly installed database, so it's not actually missing files. it's something within the database.

[Norv]

the theme works fine when i point it to a different, freshly installed database, so it's not actually missing files. it's something within the database.

The database holds paths of files and folders of the themes, and of other features like attachments and whatnot. So you are jumping to conclusions when saying there are no missing files: a fresh database may have well point to other paths, which have existing files, while this one, point to some paths to files which do not exist.
The only way to know is to find out what files it is searching for and not finding. That is, first of all, the server error log, then perhaps the error page itself (not redirected), the forum error log in some cases, the server access log, where we can see what it is searching for and not finding.