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I want to completely redo my forum but I don't want to lose my messages or the memberlist. I wouold also like to keep the current forum running until I have the new one together. How do I do this?
I have alot of mods that I don't want installed anymore. I wasn't smart enough to keep a list of them and the files themselves to uninstall them. I basically want to create a new forum but keep my memberlist and the current messages. So I still have all of my members and so forth. But I don't want any of the mods. So basically I want to start over fresh but I also want to keep the current forum running while I'm creating the new forum.
akaine wrote:
I want to completely redo my forum but I don't want to lose my messages or the memberlist. I wouold also like to keep the current forum running until I have the new one together. How do I do this?
When you say redo, do you mean a phpBB forum to a different URL, an entire different forum system, or replacing your current phpBB board to another system. The last two can be done with converters, which will convert your forums, posts, users, etc. to other systems. They are mainly provided on the site of whatever forum system you wish to use.
Well is it possible to redo it to a different url for the time being but when I am finished delete the old forum files and replace with the new ones so I can keep the url I currently have?
This is simple - just put fresh forum files over the old ones (except config), and delete any files that weren't a part of the original phpBB package. This won't affect your messages or memberlist, since these are stored in the database, not the forum files. Of course, it won't remove any SQL changes made by your MODs, either.... I'm not sure whether that will matter, but it shouldn't cause any problems you can't cope with.
You should make a backup of everything first, of course.
Last edited by TMB on Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ok I'm a little slow so please bear with me.....what forum files am I replacing and what exactly am I replacing them with? And I want all of the mods completely gone and I don't remember whic ones I installed.
Last edited by akaine on Tue Jun 28, 2005 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've edited my original post. I forgot to say not to delete config. terrible advice, when I thought about it....
Really, it's simple. You know how to upload files with FTP, because you've installed MODs before. Now just use the same process replace any files that you might have changed - ie, in your case all of them - EXCEPT config.
Basically you can start from scratch with the plain old simple unmodded, subsilver phpBB that you had when you originally installed but still keep your user lists and posts, and forums, etc. All you need to do is download phpbb again, ftp in your server, go into your phpbb root directory, delete everything except config.php and upload the new files. If you dont want your board to be down, then just upload the new files into the directory on your server and overwrite everything EXCEPT config.php (that is where the board recalls the information from the database such as your posts, memberlist, etc). When your done with all the file uploads, it will look plain as hell. Any mods you had installed will not show up unless you reinstall that mod. Only then will the old settings of that mod be recalled from the database it was stored in and work again. So technically, the mods will still be there but not be used unless you tell it to.
Because no matter what there will always be a file there for the server to recall. If the timing is perfect and someone logs onto index.php while its uploading, then it will be a little messed up but then by the time they hit refresh itll be finished uploading and it will be fine because the new file will be there.
The bad news is that your users will possibly get error messages while the new files are being uploaded. The good news is that this won't take long. Just post a warning on your forums to the affect that the site is undergoing maintenance.