Looking for help on MYSQL/VBULL Forum Software

cfbc

Guys,

Normally helping others around here on techie stuff, but software I struggle with I am afraid a little and run a forum/website using MYSQL/PHP and VBULLITEN which my good friend and I used to look after/update and also maintain...

Last year my friend past away with cancer and since I have REALLY struggled to get to grips with the technical side of the forum (website ok as I use and learning Dreamweaver), but the updates to the forum have not been done for about a year or so now.... This is all via MYSQL/PHP and the forum software using VBULLITEN....

I am looking for some serious help and for someone who knows their stuff or even a direction to point me in to be able to update and maintain the forum software as well as obviously allowing the forum to run.. We have over 800 members worldwide and runs 24hrs a day with post's so downtime needs to be minimal.

Does anyone know anybody that may be able to help? Give advice or be able to point me in the right direction please?

Like I say, the host company I can handle, website too and backing-up the website and forum is ok to me, just cannot get my head around MYSQL/PHP and the VBULLITEN updates to allow it to be updated and installed....

Any advice welcome...

Thanks.

Wombat

I haven't used VBulletin, but a helpful resource can be found on the Forum at VBulletin itself:

http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/

And this looks like a useful guide to upgrading VBulletin:

http://www.siteground.com/tutorials/vbulletin/vbulletin-upgrade.htm

If there are any specific jobs you are struggling with regarding PHP and MySQL, then you're best posting those on here with details to get the required help. Without seeing the code and knowing the setup it's difficult to know what help you actually need.

cfbc

Thanks Wombat, appreciated.

I have just registered with the VB Forum and I am going to ask the same question to see if I can get someone to help.. To be honest I cannot get into the coding to post it and to change anything would be very risky as it's all very alien even after reading a couple of books!

I want to approach someone and ask them a few questions, give them some details and see what they say and to find someone genuine too (no offence to anyone) as the forum means so much to the few hundred that log on daily with the hobby we have.

fermi

I would really second the suggestion of posting on the VB forum.

Have you got a PC that you can install VB on to have a play? That would allow you to experiment without endangering your site.

If you have a Windows PC then

http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

will allow you to set up a local web server with php/mysql to play with.

Doing, playing, and experimenting is the best way to learn.

If you have a Linux PC/box, most distros will allow you to install a local web server with the correct requires as well.

cfbc

Fermi I have.. Can use this PC with it's own hard drive. I know my friend used to upgrade on a "dummy" site he ran on his PC before updating the main online site, but again I had no idea how to do this...

Thank you, will take a look.

cfbc

fermi wrote: »

Doing, playing, and experimenting is the best way to learn.

If you have a Linux PC/box, most distros will allow you to install a local web server with the correct requires as well.

Totally agree.. All my experiance is and has been that way... I have a PC with windows XP Professinal.

fermi

cfbc wrote: »

Totally agree.. All my experiance is and has been that way... I have a PC with windows XP Professinal.

Install and have a play then?

I have a test VB forum running on this machine.

If I boot into Linux, it runs under that. If I (rarely) boot into Vista then it runs under Xampp setup on that.

Personally, I think installing a test forum from scratch will help you with the basic stuff you seem to need. Then you can go from there.

cfbc

Thanks Fermi, sounds like you know your stuff...

fermi

cfbc wrote: »

Thanks Fermi, sounds like you know your stuff...

Not really, but I know how to tinker and learn.

My degree/MSc/PhD is in physics, and I know from that that unless you learn and play with the basics from the ground up you are lost. Or are at least fighting a losing battle.