Trying to Restore My SMF Database - Help

[Drummingdw]

I need to reload my SMF database backup into a new copy of SMF 2.0.4.  The database backup is in the same version.  I used the SMF Database export utility which created a .sql.gz file.  When I try to load into PHPMyAdmin or My SQL Workbench I get the same error:

ERROR 1064 (42000) at line 1: You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near '<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" >                          ' at line 1
Operation failed with exitcode 1
18:24:35 Import of C:\Users\Work\Desktop\Jenarkhelp.com\SMF-Databases\kevin020_simple_machines_5323-complete_2013-05-29.sql.gz has finished with 1 errors

I'm not very familiar with PHP and SMF but I don't see anything loaded.  How can I get my web forum restored?

Any help would be appreciated. 

[Bigguy]

You should use something other than the backup utility in SMF. If you use cpanel there is an option there to backup you database. If you can do that and use that backup.

[kat]

If your forum's in a mess and you need a backup to restore, you might be lucky, if you ask your host, Drummingdw. You might be even luckier, if your CPanel has "R1Soft Restore Backups", in the "Files" section of CPanel, as I do, coz you can restore backups, from there, if you have it.

The backup from within SMF is, as BG pointed-out, ... er... well, it's crap, to be honest. Personally, I think it should be removed, so people have to use CPanel. It works on some servers, but not all, by any stretch of the imagination.

[MrPhil]

Yes, if you still have access to the old system, take a backup using phpMyAdmin > Export (make sure it includes the table structure: DROP TABLE, CREATE TABLE). If you no longer have access, and have to use the SMF backup you currently have, you will have to unpack it on your PC (using a utility such as 7-zip) into an .sql file and start looking at it to see what's wrong. I'm assuming that your new host can handle a .gz compressed file -- you can try extracting to a plain text .sql file and importing that. If it still gives errors, you'll have to look inside. For example, there should not be a <script> tag in the backup. Is it really there?