Redoing Everything

[bmroyer]

My forums have been up for around 2 years now, and I really need to do some cleaning up do to old hacks and portals, and little things that never worked. I want to clear everything out and reupload vbulletin without loosing all of my members/posts and everything. I know you can do a backup on everything, but do I need to make the forums exactly how they were catagory wise and topic wise before I uploade the database file, or do I install vb then upload it right away? What is the safest approach that isn't too time consuming?

[Steve Machol]

There is no easy way to do this. You could install a new copy of vB to a new database, then use Impex to import the old data to the new one. Please read the online Impex import instructions here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/i...rsion=30501500

Also please view the 'After the Import' instructions here:

http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/i...rsion=30501500

Note: This *will* change all your existing user, post, thread and forum ID numbers.

[bmroyer]

so I have to download something and upload it to my server, and use that with a test board till I get it right before going to my real forum? Also, what is this test board, and is it installed with my vb now?

[feldon23]

You're installing a second copy of vBulletin, transferring the useful data, and deleting your old vBulletin forum.

There are no guarantees about data loss and I consider this a last resort method after all attempts to clean up your forum by removing Plugins, Products, file modifications, and database modifications have failed.

[bmroyer]

Can't just upload new files and change the existing files without ruining database information?

[feldon23]

Starting with version 3.5, vBulletin moved away from file modifications, instead allowing users to modify their forums with Plugins, Products, Styles and Templates, and Languages and Phrases.

If you have modified any of the vBulletin PHP source files, then uploading a fresh copy of vBulletin may improve the situation. If your modifications are within the parameters mentioned above, then reuploading the files won't accomplish much.

Plugins and Products are able to modify and extend the MySQL database, which can leave problems behind even after you remove the offending Plugin/Product.

If you remove all Plugins, Products, and revert all Styles and Templates, and assuming no database mods were made by those plugins and products, then you will be at a "factory" vBulletin state without losing your threads, posts, forums, permissions, and users. It is up to you, however, to keep all of these up-to-date as you upgrade your vBulletin forum.

Make full backups before any major attempts!