Okay. So. The whole database was wiped. There do not appear to be any backups.
So everything that was on the forums is gone (including the styles, hacks, and so on). Everything that was in the guestbook is gone. Now, it will take a bit of time to get the forums back into shape, seeing as I need a fresh install of vBulletin, and it is further delayed by the fact that my vBulletin license expired a few days ago and my dad is away - he'll be back on Saturday, and then we can renew the license and start working on that. Hopefully. I'll have to remake all the styles, though, as well as installing all the hacks again and remaking a couple of my own little hacks created specifically for the forum. So that could take a while. Just please be patient and rest assured that I'm getting an automatic database backup program to prevent this from happening again.
On the other hand, the guestbook, being far simpler and my own script, was relatively simple to bring back - without all the posts, of course, but I just had to recreate the database to get it working again. So the guestbook and guestbook-powered update commenting are back (as well, as, incidentally, the forum and comment system on the Quest for the Legends minipage, which were a bit more complicated to bring back but I did anyway since it's the fic's sixth birthday today, and I really wish I could have spent it posting a Laughing Cupboard thread at the forums and finishing chapter 42 instead of messing around with MySQL).
To look on the bright side of the forum loss: this will provide some nice cleanup, hopefully fix some bugs, and get me to actually get all the hacks working properly in 3.7 (not to mention that if I need to recreate all the other styles, it's a perfect opportunity to remake Hellfire style and adapt Torkoal style to the forums).
I'm sorry about this.
oh noes my 8 posts are gone forever
I do better on forums when I'm there when there's a fresh start.. I think. Maybe it's because I've known the people at the forum I go to for a long time. And stuff. I dunno.
I'll probably miss the forum being put back up and everyone will have several hundred posts by the time I notice it. Oh well.
Mm, it is a bit disappointing to lose everything, but on the bright side, I guess people can have a new start.
For the last time, all the data was wiped. That means users, infractions, banned members, et cetera. Yes, you can start over with a clean slate (although you'll be quick to get re-banned if you're not one hell of a lot better).
As for why MySQL went bonkers, it started with it displaying a "Too many connections" errors at everybody, then that fixed itself, and when I was trying to fix it so that it wouldn't happen again, it refused to start up afterwards. I'm not sure at which point during my attempts to get it working the actual data was destroyed.
That sucks. Good luck getting it going again, Butterfree.
Also, if anyone has Farroh's URL in their History, could I have it so I can search for it in that archive thingy?
Ambi - worry not, I shall continue.
wow, that really sucks. D: hope everything gets sorted out okay.
haha I'm so out of the loop right now; I'm in #tcod all the time and yet I still only found out that everything was unsalvageable a couple of hours ago.
I can't actually think of any posts I'd want to keep that I *didn't* keep just in case, though, so all is well~
D:
I had so many awesome things there. There was so much awesome in those forums. It was one of the few forums worth going to. Will banned members be allowed to sign up again? I really don't want to lose all traces of people like AK.
Also, sorry if I'm repeating, but has it been said anywhere WHY the mySQL started to act up?
Well, the upside…
…
We get to be all new people? :{D
I wonder what happened.. this stinks D=
D:
I won't miss the postcount, but the posts.
Castform and DR better continue their regions and fanfics.
Come on people, the last thing anyone wants to read is 'Aww, my postcount, it is now 0 D:' Note: EVERYONE will be starting over. I know it sucks, but leave Butterfree, the mods, and the other readers alone about it please? I'm sure she's stressed and annoyed enough as it is. Good luck getting the forums running again butterfree~
Aw man, there's like a ton of new posts, and I'm too lazy to read them all ;-;…
Although, maybe I can somehow find something interesting in that google cache thing >_>
Drifloon Rocks: That would be why you back up anything more important than a simple discussion post on your own computer.
Eh, I didn't really pay attention to it, but it's still good to rid us of that time. Of course, it'd be also wonderous if we'd remember it so it doesn't occur again.
I'm still going to miss the nostalgic feeling you get when reading you eon-old posts. (Most of us have IF for that, though.) It's sort of like part of your life is no longer there, too.
Spoon: …Yeah, I would rather the drama period of TCoD be gone from the records…
HEY! The Drama period is gone from the records! We're free! :D Also, *Pokes Anti-Spam Shaymin* :D Hello there! Want a carrot?
Shaymin: …*sweatdrops*
I had very few posts anyways…hahaha.
I'm sort of disappointed that we'll no longer be able to read all of the wonderous posts of vb, though D:
http://web.archive.org Apparently, it is a permanent version of Google's cache feature. If there is stuff you absolutely CAN'T live without, try there. It MAY have the information you need.
Also, SURFING WARTORTLE ANTISPAM! WOOT!
wow guys if the worst thing that came of this is "oh noes my xxx posts :(" then I think you will survive fine with a wiped forum
Noooooo! My story! My region! GONE?!
