i actually had to employ a master technician from simple machines to rebuild.
I didnt do it.
Sir osis at simple machines website is to be thanked, not me this time.
The SQL file we purchased for $50 from smfforfree owner was so fricked up i had no clue what to do.
nothing i tried worked, sir osis suggested posting a help wanted ad so i did.
Bunch of issues to work out, but its for the most part done.
Sir Osis has a paypal beer fund, doesnt want payment for the forum rebuild in general - but would gladly take a donation to his beer fund he said.
We (the staff here) will be making a payment to this acct in the link soon.
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=OObb6nZADwfitFjDKqoKczmrQUpo1fNAtu-cZFaguNBJmosS-jnBZd7uC5a&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8dcce3e160f5b9538489e17951d2c62172If anyone else wishes to thank sir osis for making the old forum come back to life on its new forever home, you are more than welcome to give him a couple bucks for all his hard work.
It (the old forum) was a gonner, he saved it from certain death.
Right now he is working on a 5 hour upload of more files to bring all the images that were in the backup we purchased back into the forum.