Upgrade Failure

[nwind]

Hi, I am trying to update my 4.2.2 installation to 4.2.4 and am getting the following error:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected '=', expecting ')' in /home/nwind/public_html/jouster.com/forums/includes/functions_misc.php on line 759

I could sure use some help as we are constantly being hacked and I am hoping that the update will enhance security.

[Dave]

Upgrade your PHP version to at least 5.5.
vBulletin 4.2.5 requires PHP 5.6.0+ and MySQL 5.5.8+.
vBulletin 4.2.4 requires PHP 5.5.0+ and MySQL 5.0.0+.
vBulletin 4.2.3 requires PHP 5.4.0+ and MySQL 4.1.0+.
vBulletin 4.2.2 requires PHP 5.2.0+ and MySQL 4.1.0+.

Also if you're constantly being hacked then an upgrade may not necessarily fix that, it's entirely possible that the hacker uploaded a backdoor on your server in order to gain access anytime the hacker desires.

[nwind]

I think you put your finger on the problem. I am on a shared hosting server which has version 5.4.45. I can upgrade php to 5.5 or 5.6 guessing that 5.6 would be the way to go. If I upgrade, will it screw up my functioning forums or is it safe to make a live change? Are there any precautions I need to take? I am on a shared hosting plan and the change is as easy as changing the active version.

[Dave]

Upgrading PHP should not affect your forum in a negative way as long as the vBulletin version supports the PHP version you're going to use.

[nwind]

Mission accomplished with the php, many thanks! I'll try the upgrade again.