HELP ME!!

msc13 · July 24, 2018, 05:26:40 PM

Hi,

I am having huge problems with my SMF Version 2.0.15. I was getting hundreds of spam on my forum daily so I installed a few mods to eliminate the issue ( I forgot which ones but CleanTalk was one for sure). At first everything was good, but after a while, it started banning everyone on the forum, not even allowing them to post, much less log on!
I uninstalled and deleted the mods but the issue still arises. I am new to this so I did not back up before installing these mods. (STUPID ME!)

Can someone please please PLEASE help me?? I pray that there is a solution to fix the problem.

Thank you.

GigaWatt · July 24, 2018, 05:46:45 PM

Is a clean install an option? Are the mods in question the only ones you have installed?

And, for future reference, a title like "HELP ME" is not really descriptive. Here are some guidelines on how to open a support topic/thread properly

.

And last, IMO this the proper way to stop forum spam

... if it's from bots I mean

.

Sir Osis of Liver · July 24, 2018, 05:49:45 PM

Fortunately, package manager is smarter than you and creates a backup before installing a mod, they're in /Packages/backups/. You can download the backup, unzip, upload to forum root, it will restore your forum to where it was before mod was installed. Sadly, I don't think this will solve your problem. Bans are in the database, not the files, so you'll have to unban incorrectly banned members manually (unless, of course, you backed up your db before creating this mess

). I would start with a clean install, then fix the banned accounts one at a time.

msc13 · July 24, 2018, 05:53:06 PM

Quote from: GigaWatt on July 24, 2018, 05:46:45 PM
Is a clean install an option? Are the mods in question the only ones you have installed?

And, for future reference, a title like "HELP ME" is not really descriptive. Here are some guidelines on how to open a support topic/thread properly .

And last, IMO this the proper way to stop forum spam ... if it's from bots I mean .

Thanks for the reply! I apologize for the subject title. I am in a total panic at the moment and extremely frustrated at my ignorance. I don't see clean install as an option. I was very stupid and didn't know what I was doing when installing the mods and I am so scared that there is no going back.

I uninstalled/deleted all mods. The only thing that is curious though is that the Clean Talk mod settings are still in my modification settings. When I try to uncheck everything in the hopes of deleting it. (This is the most likely culprit), when I go to save, I get a white screen.

Sir Osis of Liver · July 24, 2018, 05:56:20 PM

Did you unistall the mods in package manager? Were there any errors?

Kindred · July 24, 2018, 05:56:52 PM

deleting a mod does not uninstall it.

If you have deleted the mod without going through the actual uninstall, then you're in a weird state,

Quite honestly, the BEST option for you is to (go to the FAQ - each of these is listed there)
1- load a freash/clean set of files.
2- run the remove hooks

then
3- remove the bans one by one...
4- install the mods that you want (carefully, this time, taking a backup between each installation)

The8thHokage · July 24, 2018, 06:06:35 PM

Hi msc13. I am sorry you are getting that problem, see for some reason spam bots are targeting SMF a lot most recently and they tend to be bothersome. I have a suggestion for you.

Get the mod BadBehavior it is a mod that adds additional security and adds the Honey Pot Project comparability with it. to get to that website just go here [nofollow]. They ask for you to donate but you don't have to in order to get an account, they however for you to the the http:BL you will need to donate a mail record.

You should also consider banning the offenders. You can do this by processing the triggers to be IP.

GigaWatt · July 24, 2018, 06:09:30 PM

^^ What Kindred wrote.

And for the spam problem, I'd still refer you to the link I posted in my previous comment... I've been using that question template myself, 0 bots registered, 0 spam

.

a10 · July 24, 2018, 06:24:49 PM

^^^ Yes, no spam mods on my forum for ages. After fixing the current problems, don't install anything, use a good registration question system, the bots can't figure out how to deal with that. Then after a period look at the results and evalue if you need any mod in addition (probably not).

msc13 · July 24, 2018, 07:44:41 PM

Quote from: Kindred on July 24, 2018, 05:56:52 PM
deleting a mod does not uninstall it.

If you have deleted the mod without going through the actual uninstall, then you're in a weird state,

Quite honestly, the BEST option for you is to (go to the FAQ - each of these is listed there)
1- load a freash/clean set of files.
2- run the remove hooks

then
3- remove the bans one by one...
4- install the mods that you want (carefully, this time, taking a backup between each installation)

Could I get some more details on this? I went to the FAQ but I have no clue what to do once I download the fix_packages code.

Sir Osis of Liver · July 24, 2018, 07:47:49 PM

Upload fix_packages.php to forum root and link to it directly to run it.

GigaWatt · July 25, 2018, 03:56:12 PM

Which means, load it through your browser, as in http://yourforumurl.com/fix_packages.php.

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HELP ME!!