Use existing database with new installation?

I've been running Dolphin v.5.6 for a year now and recently discovered some security issues (tons of link spam in the Guestbooks and very high bandwidth for such a small site). I've attempted upgrading to v.6.0, and then to 6.1, but I'm getting really frustrated, it's taken hours and hours, and I'm getting all sorts of errors (database query error, PHP errors, not seeing header file, no CSS displaying, etc) I'm wondering if I'll just be better off doing a fresh reinstall of the latest Dolphin. What I want to know is how to import all my database information into the new install? This is a local dating site with about 111 members - I'm going to get yelled at if everyone's existing account info is gone.

Do I make a new database and import the old info? If so, how? Which tables? Or do I use the existing database with the fresh install? I went into the database through phpMyAdmin and manually deleted the link spam in the Guestbook table...but there may be more garbage throughout and I'm not sure where to look. I don't want spam or other garbage tainting a fresh installation.

Experienced suggestions most welcome! Thanks.

Giving this a gentle bump, as I'm now preparing to do a fresh installation of Dolphin in a subdirectory of my site so I can test it before going live.

Am I safe using my existing database with the new installation? I've searched for this on the forums but nothing is coming up.

Gnubler,

I really doubt if it will work- there have been far too many changes between 5.6 and 6.4.  Did you install 5.6 into your root directory?  One possibility would be to install 6.4 into a subdirectory - like /members or /community.   Then you could keep your current site running for the time being, and rebuild your new site by table uploads- a much safer process.  Maybe someone else has other ideas on this, but that is the approach I would take.

Rob

Cal meant v6.1.4  .....  they still do not really have any spam control  .....

That's what I was afraid of. My head is spinning - I tried upgrading from 5.6 and got as far as 6.1 and the site is totally broken. Maybe it's just me, but having to upload random files as patches into different directories is a NIGHTMARE way to upgrade. Surely I missed a file or two - not to mention there was a file listed in the Upgrade Diff that was not included in the download patch. Onward I trod...

Does your backup restore still work?  I would backup as many of your tables as I possible could - profile fields, profiles, etc.   Then transfer them to the backup directory of your new site.  It is a pain, but I was able to rebuild a site that way.  You have my sympathy  Good luck.

Rob

I've only done manual backups through cPanel, so what I have is a zipped text file of the database and a zipped archive of all the actual site files. This is all beyond my skill level - what a MESS.

Your admin section still works right?  Forget about the full database backup, I think it is too late for that.  Look at the tables backup section at the top.  Start by backing up the tables you recognize onto your local computer.  Have you started your new install yet of 6.1.4 ?  As I mentioned, if you do this into a subdirectory you can leave up whatever is still running, but you may have business reasons for not wanting to do that.  If it is a total disaster, however, you may want to backup all the tables and just delete that entire install - after saving as much content as humanly possible.  Especially save your profiles and profile fields tables.  Yes, I know - it is demoralizing, I have been there, but 6.1.4 is much more stable, and you should be able to get back online without losing too much.

Rob

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately now I can't even access my admin backend. I get this error:

Fatal error: Call to undefined function getrayintegrationjs() in /home/personal/public_html/inc/admin_design.inc.php on line 325

I've gotten nothing but a bunch of PHP errors trying to do this upgrade. I manage to "fix" one, and another one shows up. Now I've errored myself out of the backend, hence wanting to just reinstall.

He's talking about working with the tables in your hosting cpanel > MySQL databases > phpMyAdmin > yourdolphindatabase gnubler  .....

Save what you can of the database   .....  that's the most important anyway  ..... 
.

Ok. It sounded like he was referencing something within the Dolphin admin. Yes, I can access the db in cPanel...so are you saying to backup tables one by one, instead of a full backup? I'm looking at my db in phpMyAdmin right now and there are 157 tables. Beyond Profiles and ProfileFields, what else do I want to keep?

Sorry, I realized after I made the post that he was talking about cpanel.  The point is, don't try to save the whole database - no way are you going to import that.  Save the individual tables (in sql format - right- somebody?) then you can load them into your backup directory and use Dolphin's restore function to bring them back, or perhaps import them via phpmysql.

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Rob

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p.s.  When you do your fresh install, the very first thing you should do is make a backup of your database, even though nothing will be in it.  then as you add tables, if it doesn't work, you can just roll back.

Allrighty, so I'm going to start downloading my db tables one by one...all 157 of them. This better be right!

Thanks for that tip - I was planning to backup the new database before I messed with it, as I'm stumbling into this blindly.

How big was your site?  Obviously you don't need to download tables you never used.  That's why it would be nice if you could get your new system up and running first, then you can upload the tables, look at what you have and test, and then upload another.   For some data, it might be less of a hassle to reenter manually.

Rob

Actually, that's what I'm doing. I'm doing a fresh install with a new database, then I'll compare table names and figure out what I need to transfer from the old to the new. Most of the 157 tables in my db have 0 records, so this shouldn't be too hairy. It's not a big site, only 111 members.

Thanks for all the help. I'll be back when I encounter my next disaster!