Argh! Really need help. Re-installing has stalled ..

[jasonwatkins]

Ok, here's what's happened.  I was running RC3 quite successfully.  For various reasons i decided to wipe everything out and re-install, just keeping the members, their PM's and the overall layout including the arcade.

Backed up the members file, pm's, board info, categories into SQL files.

Created a dummy RC3 forum to test everything out and do a dry run.  Successfully ported the members file over, installed and set up the arcade and ported the PM's.  Got a few people to log in to test everything out and everyone reported back it was fine - logins were the same and all PM's were present and saved.

So double checked again, made a list of all the packages and themes i had installed, took one last backup of the PM's and got started - wiped my webspace completely and dropped all databases.

re-created the empty database and uploaded RC3 'full install' and ran it.  that installed so went to the phpadmin to load the backup of the members file and .. it DOESN'T WORK.

I pulled a random record from the backed up members file and counted that it has 68 fields per record, but the RC3 installation has 60 - i'm OVER by 8 fields ??

I even tried doing a clean install of 1.11 and then upgrading to RC3.  This all worked and went through but left me in the same situation.  I have a backup of my members file that does not match the table layout - even though I took it from an RC3 installation

I'm extremely confused and a bit desperate so any help would be greatly appreciated - thankyou.

[flapjack]

maybe those extra 8 fields are mod-related data?

[jasonwatkins]

i wondered this .. the packages i have installed are ..

aeva_media
annoy user
admin notepad
inline hover spoiler
ignore user button
infobox
arcade

the only things i can see adding to the members file are aeva_media and the arcade .. i wanted to go to bed, as it's 2:44am here, but i just want to try and get it working

[flapjack]

why don't you just import the whole database (the one that you backed up)?

[jasonwatkins]

i didn't back the whole database up - just selected tables.

i've re-installed all my packages and it has indeed added extra fields to the members table, but i'm still 3 short ..

[flapjack]

which ones? can you name them?

[jasonwatkins]

this is the absolute killer that's giving me a headache - i can't.  when i backed up the members table, i just kept the "insert into" part of the SQL file.

i didn't keep the table structure - i'd tested it and imported it into the dummy database and it had worked fine with zero issues - clearly no reason to keep the original structure

(obviously i'm being sarcastic .. it would probably solve the problem if i did have it ...)

[gbsothere]

this is the absolute killer that's giving me a headache - i can't.  when i backed up the members table, i just kept the "insert into" part of the SQL file.

i didn't keep the table structure - i'd tested it and imported it into the dummy database and it had worked fine with zero issues - clearly no reason to keep the original structure

(obviously i'm being sarcastic .. it would probably solve the problem if i did have it ...)

Just curious (on my way to bed)...  if you open the zips of the mods and take a look at any (database) php files, shouldn't the queries be there, that you can run to get those missing fields back? 

(Old man who doesn't know what he's talking about heads off to bed.)   

[jasonwatkins]

i'll try that tomorrow - 3:39am now and i really need my bed as well .. old man syndrome

if that doesn't work, i'll just trawl through the RC3 mods and see if anything rings a bell that i might have forgotten to install.

thanks for all the advice so far.

[jasonwatkins]

if i bodge it and add 3 dummy fields to the end of the file and re-load the SQL file, it loads in, but when i try to login with my old password i get ..

"Password security has recently been upgraded. Please enter your password again."

so i enter it again and it says 'Incorrect Password'

[jasonwatkins]

well what i did was to add a number of dummy fields to the members file to pad it out, then i re-loaded the backup i had.

i then got the SQL code for the main members file and with a bit of jiggery pokery, i selected the individual fields from the dummy table into the real one and i've sorted it.  i can't work out for the life of my how or why it's changed though but hey .. it's done now

[flapjack]

congrats! good you had it sorted, remember to use "Mark topic solved" button

[jasonwatkins]

well it's not 100% solved.  i restored the other table of people's personal messages, but it's not re-attributing them to people - as far as I know the member id's on the member file haven't changed so i would have just assumed that uploading the table again would have enabled people to see them.

i've recounted all the forum totals, checked for errors e.t.c...

so i won't mark it solved just yet ..

[flapjack]

if you would like someone else to look at it, I can give you a hand in the evening, let's say about 10pm GMT?

[jasonwatkins]

i appreciate the offer but i've now cracked it.  although it was a bit of a 'scorched earth' approach in that i managed to restore every PM that each member had, deleted or otherwise

i have to restore the arcade now, but that's easily done so i'll mark this as solved now.  thanks for the help.

[flapjack]

you're welcome