Tutorial: Upgrade your hacked board in less then 30 minutes

[TECK]

This tutorial is vBulletin.org and yqed.com (http://www.yqed.com/) (why queued) copywrited. All rights reserved.
Please ask permission in this thread to copy the tutorial. If granted, post a link that points to this page.

We all have all kind of hacks installed in our boards, or else you wouldn't be reading this thread, right? ;)
Here is it my tutorial on how to upgrade your VB board in less then 30minutes.

TOOLS NEEDED
Araxis Merge (http://www.araxis.net/files/merge60_win32_evl.exe) (for more info, visit www.araxis.com)
I use the evaluation version for now, but this will be my next purchase. Is worth every penny.

PROCEDURE
STEP 1
01. Extract your new zipped file that you downloaded from Member's Area to a unique folder and dispose the files in the same manner as you have them on your web server.
I named that folder vbNEW.
For example, you should have your folder tree like that:
|--vbNEW (.php and .js files here)
|-----admin (.php files)
|-----mod (.php files)
02. Create a new unique folder called vbOLD (your actual version that you want to upgrade from).
Copy there ALL your .php, .js files that you currently have (hope you alwyas keep the .zip file).
Your folder tree should look like that:
|--vbOLD (.php and .js files from old zip archive here)
|-----admin (.php files)
|-----mod (.php files)
|--vbNEW (files from the new zip archive here)
|-----admin (.php files)
|-----mod (.php files)
STEP 2
01. Open Araxis Merge and press CTRL+D. It will start a new folder comparison.

02. Browse for folder location in each compare area. I selected the vbNEW in the left side and vbOLD in the right one.

03. Press the button Refresh. Araxis will start to compare the files one by one and show you the changes in colors.

STEP 3
Let's see the changes that occurred in db_mysql.php file, for example.

01. Click on the db_mysql.php file name to highlight it.

02. Press CTRL+M to launch the file comparisons. A new window will open and Araxis will highlight all code changes.

03. Copy the highlighted code onto your actual vBulletin hacked file.
NOTE: Repeat this procedure for every code change that you see highlighted.

FINAL STEPS
If you are not sure 100% of what you are doing, use the upgrade system provided by Jelsoft and reinstall manually the hacks again.
Araxis is a great tool for comparing the files ONLY.

Once done, test the new code on your test board. if everything is OK, upload your files to your live web site.
You are done. ;)

[Aaow AnD wHiTe]

Thanx nakkid :) We may try it next time we upgrade our board ;) Good Job!!

[Lesane]

Great, thanks for the tutorial.

[Dark_Wizard]

Yes...very nice tutorial...thx!

[hypedave]

thankyou for the tut, when vb 2.2.6 is available for us members, I will definetly give this a try

[Marshalus]

This should be listed as a sticky thread. A lot of new hackers will want this kind of information when things get upgraded, I wish I would have had this info a while back instead of discovering it myself, it would have saved me a lot of time.

[Lesane]

I just purchased Araxis Merge Professional v6.0. Great program, i love it. :)

[TECK]

i will do it next week. damn lesane... you are always faster then me. :)

[Brad]

i use beyound compare, but im ganna download this and see if its any better ^^

[Xenon]

i use beyond compare, an my update procedure is something else

i extract the unchanged vb i use (say 2.2.5) and compared it with the one on my server with the hacks.

so i'm sure i find every line i have changed.

after that i copy the changed lines into the new files.

it takes a bit more time, but you can be sure not to forget a line you have changed nor to overwrite some new code with the old code.

but a good tutorial nakkid, because it is very fast to update this way

[DelusionalMind]

sweet! :)

[TECK]

Originally posted by Xenon
so i'm sure i find every line i have changed.
after that i copy the changed lines into the new files.
it takes a bit more time, but you can be sure not to forget a line you have changed nor to overwrite some new code with the old code.that's exacly what araxis does. and is automatized. no need to search for it, it will do it for you, instantly. :)

[FWC]

Originally posted by nakkid
that's exacly what araxis does. and is automatized. no need to search for it, it will do it for you, instantly. :) Beyond Compare does that, too. Xenon is just being extra careful.

[Lesane]

Originally posted by nakkid
i will do it next week. damn lesane... you are always faster then me. :)

hehe :lick:

[polgas]

Thanks for the tutorial.

It would help also if there's a tutorial for upgrading modified templates.

[TECK]

actually there is one. search for firefly's hack: template backup system. :)

[menetas]

I got a big problem...
this program is for Windows...
and the server where i host the boards is linux mandrake.. and the only way i can get connected is via ssh...
any suggestions???

[TECK]

if you can ftp to it to upload the files, you are ok. do you run windoze as OS or linux in your pc?

[JulianD]

thanks nakkid for this great tutorial. I will download Araxis Merge Trial and test it... Maybe I buy it :)

[scsa20]

I used Beyond Compare when I did mine :rolleyes: (I don't know about this one, but with Beyond Compare, you can set it up to connect to your server and do it that way)

[NTLDR]

Thanks for the tut nakkid, good work, I've have to update my board now :D

[X-Fan]

Not all of us have the available funds to purchase programs like those, so we're reliant on others providing manual upgrades from version to version (to whom we're eternally grateful, let me say!).

[Austin Dea]

<a href="http://www.scootersoftware.com" target="_blank">Beyond Compare</a> is free. It's what I use =P

[TECK]

actually is shareware. i like alot better araxis due to his speed and flexibility. however, beyond compare is a good tool also.

[X-Fan]

And what happens when the shareware version expires? Like I said, not everyone can afford to buy a program to do upgrades to their forums only once in a while. It's not a justifiable expense when there are more important things to pay for (like hosting fees and bandwidth costs).

[TECK]

well, i asume that you like VB and that you going to use it forever. hacks will always be here. i think the price is nothing comparing with the time you save. if you can afford to pay 100$ in hosting/year you can also afford a good piece of software.

when i go out in one night with my wife on a club, i spend more then 124$. so for me is nothing. think of it as an investisment in your work.

[X-Fan]

As I said, there are more important things that need paying for before a program that you'll only use once or twice in a blue moon.

As good as it may be, it's not something that you'd use with enough regularity to justify the expense.

[TECK]

no problem. then you will have to go through the classic way. save the documentation for your hacks and every time you upgrade, you must check every file manually. is time consuming but have the same results. :)
jelsoft upgrades it's software almost every month. if you spend 2hours/month to upgrade your board for 20$/hour (average php tech-troubleshooting charge), that's about 400$/year you save.

i must add that firefly uses this piece of software also and he thinks (i quote) "is a life saver".

[Sinecure]

Thanks SOOO much for this Nakkid. Even though it took me far more then 30 minutes, it was sure a time saver :) This is a god send for anyone upgrading their board, I'm going to stick this :)

[Learner29]

wow! everyone seems to love your tut nakkid....

congratulations...

I have read the thread, now, let us see how this will work!

[Gary King]

Excellent tut, Nakkid!!

Originally posted by Nakkid
well, i asume that you like VB and that you going to use it forever. hacks will always be here. i think the price is nothing comparing with the time you save. if you can afford to pay 100$ in hosting/year you can also afford a good piece of software.

when i go out in one night with my wife on a club, i spend more then 124$. so for me is nothing. think of it as an investisment in your work.

Yes, I'd have to agree with you. Software might seem like a lot, but I could spend as much money simply by going out for dinner [at a fancy restaurant :)], and I should also say that I have purchased Photoshop 7.0, even though it might seem quite expensive to some :p

Another thing... which do most of you guys think would be better .. purchasing Beyond Compare, or Araxis Merge? :smoke:

[Massiel]

I used Araxis to upgrade my forums but the version at the bottom of each page still shows the old version, is there anyway of fixing this ? Also the CP still says I should upgrade to 2.2.6

Any ideas?

[TECK]

you still have to run the upgrade...

[Massiel]

Excuse my ignorance :D How do I run the upgrade? And what is the file called? LOL! Won't running the upgrade change any of the files?

[TECK]

upgradeXX.php. once you edited all you files, run that file.

[Gary King]

Originally posted by Nakkid
upgradeXX.php. once you edited all you files, run that file.

@Massiel: You must run the correct files for upgrading to version 2.2.6 of vBulletin. You can find the correct information here: http://www.vbulletin.com/members/upgrade.html

:)

[Massiel]

I just wanted to thank you Nakkid, for taking the time to post about this! I followed your instructions in my forums and it worked like a charm. :D I am having trouble with some hacks that stopped working but no biggies, I will figure them out in time! Thanks for everything!!! :)

[Massiel]

Blak I upgraded them all in order :D Thanks!

[Gary King]

np Massiel.. glad it works :D

And BTW, where is the vBulletin copyright in the footer? :ermm:

[Massiel]

You know someone did that style for me and they took that out, if you don't mind telling me how to put it back on I will... I have other templates and they all have it, but not the main one!!

[TECK]

UPDATES
People who ripped my tutorial, without placing a link that point here, as discussed:
Tutorial: Upgrade Your Custom Board In Less Than 30 Min. (http://forums.prolixmedia.com/read.php?TID=1111)
Ripper's Comments: Good Tutorial I Created Off Nakkid's At vB.org.

He actually ripped all without creating nothing.
Please let them know also what you think about it. Thanks.

[menetas]

Originally posted by Nakkid
if you can ftp to it to upload the files, you are ok. do you run windoze as OS or linux in your pc?

No, the vbulletin forums are in a server which i can only access via SSH, the mysql database is in ANOTHER server, and i cant make backups because i dont have an admin password nor root in either server, so the database backup just wont work...

i can trasnfer files (phps, html, etc) from the webserver to my local machine via SSH i have a windows and a debian box.. but i cant really see the difference in using Araxi's software.. which is nicely graphical.. but i cant connect to that server via other thing than ssh...

so what do you guys suggest...?
i can backup files in the same server, upgrade vbulletin and reinstall hacks...? is that the way to go?

duh! im really lazy...
cheers! :banana:

[p0s3id0n]

Here is a french translation of your tutorial nakkid/TECK :).
i'm sorry but the forum is register only :(... not my choice.

http://www.jexweb.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=16577

Anyway thanks for this tut, and for allowing me to translate it :)

[en fran?ais]
Voici la traduction fran?aise de ce tutoriel :
http://www.jexweb.net/forums/showthread.php?postid=16577
Merci a Nakkid/TECK pour ce tut et pour m'avoir permis de le
traduire.
[/en fran?ais]

[TECK]

i cant signup to your board. you password hack is installed wrong. any password i type to create is not accepted. also you should specify how many characters are allowed in the passowrd. i know that if i'm a regular person i would never return to a board that it's posing problems to signup.
it's extremly complicated your signup system. please revise it and let me know when i can signup properly.

[Sweet Cheeks]

Awesome, and I just so happen to be upgrading tonight and I have 43 hacks installed LOL!

[Gary King]

Originally posted by ~*Julie*~
Awesome, and I just so happen to be upgrading tonight and I have 43 hacks installed LOL!

It shows in your profile you only installed 3 hacks; you must've not given credit to some hackers here, I assume :rolleyes:

[Sweet Cheeks]

I know :disappointed: I am sorry I promise I will credit them tonight when I go through all of them to reinstall them. Honestly, I was having a major blonde moment and never really knew what clicking that credit link was? Those 3 I have were just me clicking it "wondering" what it did and what it was for lol

[Sweet Cheeks]

If I can make it up to anyone, let me know https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/

[p0s3id0n]

Originally posted by TECK
i cant signup to your board. you password hack is installed wrong. any password i type to create is not accepted. also you should specify how many characters are allowed in the passowrd. i know that if i'm a regular person i would never return to a board that it's posing problems to signup.
it's extremly complicated your signup system. please revise it and let me know when i can signup properly.

Err, as i said, the administration choices are not mine :(:(...
but i will transmit this information to the one in charge ;)...
As i registered long ago (err.. 6 months :p) this signup system
was not in place.

[NoAhBoDy]

just want to add my "me too" here...I wasn't going to upgrade to 2.2.7 but this information made it possible for me...

Thanks!

[Dean C]

awesome tutorial nakkid...

but what if it goes wrong.. i have numerous hacks installed and all those long lines of $DB QUERY(..... 's could go wrong?

- miSt

[NTLDR]

The worst that can happen is that you have some parse errors and maybe a few DB errors. I upgraded a 2.2.6 board to 2.2.8 with a fair amount of hacks installed and there was one error, which I knew there would be.

With the $DB_site->query's just check whats being added, if its not in the origional one then add it to it, just make sure you don't overwrite the ones with initval in the new 2.2.8 files with the varibles without it in the old files as this is a security risk :D

[Dean C]

i successfully upgraded..

took me 4 hours though lol!

Thanks for this useful tutorial Nakkid :D

Regards

- miSt

[groovesalad]

How are you supposed to know what you changed versus what was changed for the upgrade?

[TECK]

read again the first post. i made it more clear. :)
cheers.

[X-Fan]

What of in the case where you have not the resources for a test board? How do you go about upgrading a heavily-hacked forum without causing errors that can result in downtime of your site?

I've tried both Araxis Merge and Beyond Compare, and have had nothing but trouble with both resulting in numerous errors. And no, I'm not computer illiterate.

Besides, both AM and BC are evaluation only, which means a purchase is required to continue using them. I certainly don't have the money available to pay for extra purchases such as these, and there was never anything mentioned when I signed up for vBulletin about requiring to purchase extra software in order to upgrade my forums.

I still say the easiest thing for all involved would be for the makers of vBulletin to release to registered members a manual list of changes from one version to the next. That way, people could upgrade their forums without fear of them screwing up.

[NTLDR]

Originally posted by X-Fan
I still say the easiest thing for all involved would be for the makers of vBulletin to release to registered members a manual list of changes from one version to the next. That way, people could upgrade their forums without fear of them screwing up.

You should properly comment the changes you make in all files, that when you will find upgrading alot easier. vB do say on there site that they do not support hacked boards so I expect its unlikly they will do anything to make it "easier".

[Erwin]

NTLDR is right. Plus they don't want to make it easy for pirated boards to upgrade as well without needing to download the files.

[X-Fan]

Yes I realize vBulletin don't support hacked boards (which honestly makes me wonder the point of making hacks at all if the makers of the software won't support it), but they can still make something like what I'm suggesting available only to members, just like they make the files available only to members.

And I do properly comment all the files, but it doesn't help when entire sections of code are changed making a hack completely inoperable until an upgraded version of the hack is issued (if at all).

[Visionray]

Ok, wait, so I put the vbNEW on the left, and the vbOLD on the right side and I just click that little arrow to move the code from the NEW on the left to the OLD on the right? So I'm adding in the new code to my old version instead of adding in the old code to the new version right?

Sorry I am so lost. Is this a wise move to do from 2.2.4 to 2.2.8?

What about templates? Will I need to change all those too?

Thanks

[Visionray]

Wait, nevermind my last question...I have a new question.

Can I just modify all my old files by using Araxis Merge, and then just upload everything to my server, replacing all my old files, and its done?

And if somehow there is a problem, can I just reupload my older 2.2.4 php files and everything will be back to normal?

Basically Im asking, if this doesn't work, do I risk losing everything? Or can I just revert back to 2.2.4 by reuploading my old stuff.

Thanks guys.

[Gary King]

If something messes up, you can simply upload your old files.

[TECK]

you will need to run also the upgradexx.php file to update the database. so things will change.

[Visionray]

Ok thanks guys, Actually I decided I didn't know what I was doing, so I just did the regular update process and for the most part my hacks remained intact! :) I only had to change a few php files and Im back in business!

Next time for sure I'll use this tutorial. Thanks guys.

[Gary King]

No problem visionray :)

[KelteN]

Very nice! THX :)

[Littlebit]

Does anyone know af any comparison software like this for Mac users?

[MSX]

Hey...need some help please!

I loaded vBnew on the left, and vBold on the right, now, do I click the arrows pointing to the left or the arrows pointing to the right? In the tut, he circiled arrows, are those the ones I click?

[Xyphen]

Great Tutorial, I am gonna use this to upgrade from now on...

[NTLDR]

Originally posted by MSX
Hey...need some help please!

I loaded vBnew on the left, and vBold on the right, now, do I click the arrows pointing to the left or the arrows pointing to the right? In the tut, he circiled arrows, are those the ones I click?

You can either copy the code to the left or the right, its personal perference which set of files you change, just make sure you click the same ones throughout :)

[JakeC]

What about the files outside of admin and mod. Do we upload them as well after comparing and copying the hacks into the new admin and mod files? What I am taking about are the files in the upload folder one level up from admin and mod (i.e. calendar.php, edit post.php ect..).

Thanks.

JakeC

[Kars10]

This is the best way to upgrade my vb.
Thanks so much teck!!! :)

[JakeC]

Has anyone tried this with 3.0 yet? What are the foreseeable problems with using this method to go from 2x to 3x? Thanks

JakeC

[Dean C]

There is no chance. Your simply going to have to replace all the files and wait for the original hackers to upgrade their hacks to vb3 - should take a year for them all to be converted (well most)

- miSt

[Zombie-F]

I'm not sure anyone suggested this, but you only need to compare the files that the vb team modified from the last release. They usually post a list of what files/templates were changed from the last version, so, you only need to compare those files and update them. I'm about to try going from 2.2.9 to 2.3.0 like this and I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I'm pretty sure I'll screw something up. :p

[trafix]

Ok...its time for me to upgrade from 2.2.8 ---> 2.3.0

I downloaded and merge program....

looking at the differences there is a lot but im not sure what i have added and what i havnt, im also worried that im replacing the new coding in 2.3 with old code from 2.2.8

is it better to transfer the data chacges from the new to the old as there dosnt seem as many changes as the other way around...

if some hacks dont work, it would be easier to fix as well???????

Thanks in advance before i start..

[trafix]

Well that wasnt so bad!

I have an extra tip for those who are about to upgrade:

1) Download the merge software if you havent already done so.

2) Use the program to compare the 2 ORIGINAL (unhacked versions) eg. 2.2.8 -----> 2.3.0

3) On a note pad jot down the list of files that have changed and the quantity of changes in each.
using my site as an example....
admin/email has 5 changes
admin/index has 11 changes

4) then continue to follow the tut in the first post of the thread and compare the new files with the files from your server.
in my case
admin/email has 5 changes - i have not added any hack to this file
admin/index has 19 changes - i know that i am looking for 7 sections of coding that is used for added hacks.

5) If you cant identify particular coding between the new file and the one from your server then open your editor and load the original file, eg. if i could not figure out code in admin/index I would load that file to my editor ad then again compare the changed lines from the merge program to the original file in your editor.....

I did it this way and so far I have only had I bug found

Hope this helps!

[mtha]

07-19-02 at 05:20 PM menetas said this in Post #42 (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?postid=274091#post274091)
No, the vbulletin forums are in a server which i can only access via SSH, the mysql database is in ANOTHER server, and i cant make backups because i dont have an admin password nor root in either server, so the database backup just wont work...

i can trasnfer files (phps, html, etc) from the webserver to my local machine via SSH i have a windows and a debian box.. but i cant really see the difference in using Araxi's software.. which is nicely graphical.. but i cant connect to that server via other thing than ssh...

so what do you guys suggest...?
i can backup files in the same server, upgrade vbulletin and reinstall hacks...? is that the way to go?

duh! im really lazy...
cheers! :banana:

This is a little bit going back of time, since menetas ask ... too long ago, but I dont see any reply to his questions, so it may useful, for those who want (or only have) ssh access, to the server. (I myself turn off FTP, telnet, and all other options, except SSH :p

SSH SercureShell program goes with another one called "SSH Sercure File Transfer. You can use this tool, just like using FTP.
It's FREE for non-commercial and university use.
Download at:
http://www.ssh.com/support/downloads/secureshellwks/non-commercial.html

With this program, you have both SSH, and SFTP :D

You can also use some FTP programs that support sercure file transfer option, to connect to secure server via port 22.

-------------
If you want to work REMOTELY on the server, you can use some Linux/Unix file compare programs, that I think should be some. However, it's NOT recommended.

From one version to another, there're a lot of changes in files' code, it's still, and always easier to work on local machine. You can easily compare files, edit files (many files) much quicker than ssh to the server, and working remotely.

Another option, if you still wanna work remotely.
- Have a copy of your forum and the new version, in your computer.
- Using Beyond Compare or Araxis Merge, to find out where you need to make changes, in files.
- Using SSH, edit the files, make the changes that was mentioned in the comparing program, reasonably.


but i cant really see the difference in using Araxi's software.. which is nicely graphical.. but i cant connect to that server via other thing than ssh...

Araxis Merge and Beyond Compare are the tools, to help you compare files.
SSH is the interface, for you to work on the server. They are totally different.


--------------------
btw, did anyone compare the differences between Beyond Compare and Araxis Merge?

I think that Beyond Compare can do exactly the same things, as TECK mentioned above.


Happy hacking

[JF1980]

Im looking at going from 2.2.6 to 2.3.0, I run a modified VBportal site, what should I do about the style file?

[mtha]

Yesterday at 11:21 PM JF1980 said this in Post #79 (https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?postid=382743#post382743)
Im looking at going from 2.2.6 to 2.3.0, I run a modified VBportal site, what should I do about the style file?


not much, just upgrade the files (follow the instructions), run the upgrade script (which will replace the templatesetid -1)

Then, check the templates which were modified in those ungrading version, compare with your current templates, and add the parts that you think would be important.

take a look at what has changed in templates, there's usually only a few small changes.

hint. compare current templates with "original" ones which was included in Admin CP.

I have vB 2.3.0 working fine with vBP

[JF1980]

Thanks, where is the upgrade script?

Is there a script to upgrade the DB?

[mtha]

the upgrade script goes with each vBulletin release, you can find it in the package downloaded from vbulletin.com

You can read that script, step by step and find out what the script does.

Is there a script to upgrade the DB?
basically yes.

You will have to change the files yourself, to fit the database (if there's any database structure changed)

but, remember to BE CAREFUL when you use it. Recommend to test in testing forums first, if you're not sure.

[Sanjiyan]

TECK

Do you or have you ever used this function on the Araxis Merge program:

http://www.araxis.com/merge/topic_automaticmerging.And if so did it work OK?

[Dean C]

I personally have never used it and i would reccomend merging yourself as it may merge things you don't want merging :p

- miSt

[Doubledoom]

I use araxis and have done for years. Although i use three panes to compare.

latest clean version on left. Previous clean version in middle. My hacked previous version on right.

This allows you to see what code is new between the previous and new version without wondering what was hacked and what wasnt.

[chad]

nice tut.

[Massiel]

Oh my, I need to upgrade from 2.2.6 to 2.3.0 and I am terrified, I have done this before with Araxis, to upgrade from 2.2.0 to 2.2.6 but for some reason I am so scared of doing it now, did much change from 2.2.6 to 2.3.0? I need to do this, please tell it it will be alright ROFL!!

[Dean C]

I'm sure it will be alright Massiel if you take your time :)

- miSt

[LilPimp]

This works also if u wanna upgrade and you want the skins to be tha same right?

[KuraFire]

Now that the Hack Tracking Log is released, we may want to add that to the options. :)


Step 1) Click List All Modifications;
Step 2) overwrite all vB files;
Step 3) re-apply all code changes from the list that was just made for you in step 1.

done :)

[jedimaster]

Hmmm- what would happen if you tried to upgrade a hacked board with a newer RC? Would the hacks just disappear?

[Dean C]

Yes it would :)

[Animension]

Hello,

I'm attempting to upgrade from vb3 Release Candidate 4 (Hacked) to vB3 GOLD. I downloaded the Araxis Merge 6 evaluation software, and when I try to compare two files by double clicking, Merge.exe crashes and closes. Sometimes this error happens when I hit Ctrl+D to switch to folder view. However, I can get past that. I cannot get past the file comparison crash though.

I'd greatly appreciate any help that you can offer. Thank you. ^_^

[Dean C]

You're best asking for support over at araxis.com as we are not experts in using the software :)

[GaleForce]

I am currently upgrading from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1 and had a question. Sometimes, in a few files, as I compare them I get code "removals" from the new version to the old. Meaning, the new files are missing code (intentionally of course) that the older ones have. I have just been replacing code, but I was wondering if that code in the old files has to be removed as well. I know there are arrow keys to chage/insert code, but none to remove, so I assumed that I was just being paranoid. Am I wrong?

[NTLDR]

You don't need to touch your 3.0.0 files, just copy across the changes you made from them over to the 3.0.1 files and then upload them all and run the upgrade script :)

[sross]

ok, i'm going to try this with the 3.0.0 to 3.0.1 upgrade, only reason i have to do this is because i need 3.0.1 to import my phpbb :(

sigh

[sross]

ok sorry for my lack of skills, but in doing the file compare it basically says every single file ahs been changed. mainly due to the file header and footer info, how in araxis 6.5 do i set it to ignore these? currently looking at araxis help but not much luck here. thanks!

[sross]

god this is annoying, can't figure out how to ignore header and footer lines in the php files! argghh!!! you would think it would be simple, like an option "ignore all text containing the phrase" !!! ? i hate technology sometimes!

[sross]

ok i think i need to make an expression then tell it to ignore it, but no idea how to make an expression for this "|| #" -everything i do says it's poorly formed and It won't work :(

[sross]

installed beyond compare to see if i could figure it out in that app.
*cleaning and preparing my pistol for self inflicted headshot*

[Dean C]

Please don't repeatedly post - just edit your post if necessary :)

[tamarian]

I would to propose adding these tools, in addition to araxis and bc. Both of the tools below are free, open source and full featured compare/diff/merge tools:

For Windows: WinMerge http://winmerge.sourceforge.net/

For Linux: Meld: http://meld.sourceforge.net/

My favourite is meld, since it has 2-way and 3-way merge (like Araxis).

This means you can compare the old vB, your hacked vB and the new vB all in one shot, and pick and chose what to merge.

[Watson]

I had big big problems with this.

Once I done upgrade, there were alot of errors, and also my files paths were wrong. I backed everything up. But I now want to go back or get this sorted.

My forums just seem screwed

I cant log into AdminCP, its says logged in, but then directs me back to log in

I can go on forums, but as they are off the now, there is nothing I can do. Also some of my images paths are gone. And Also I get errors when I go to some bits

Spent 4 hours on this, really in need of some pro help

Watson

[steven s]

Does anyone know af any comparison software like this for Mac users?

I know this is way old. . .
I use BBEdit from http://www.barebones.com/
But so far my hacls have been pretty simple.
BBEdit is a very nice text editor.

[DS MrSinister]

does work for vb3? like to know before even try. the last thing i need to do have is redo my site.

[ogetbilo]

does work for vb3? like to know before even try. the last thing i need to do have is redo my site.
It totally works for vb3. nothing is different from the tutorial. Just check each file one by one and edit the necessary things. I upgraded heavily hacked board from 3.0.3 to 3.0.5

[deathemperor]

because the software mentioned above wasn't produced for vbulletin use only so it should work with any version of vbulletin or any other script that you can read it by notepad.

[sross]

using a file compare after upgrade? I have several hacks but don't want to upgrade using file compare before hand. I plan to just do a full upgrade from 3.0.1 to 3.0.6, which will wipe out my hacks, then when the dust has settled from that and the forum is running track down the files I need to edit to get the hacks back in. Does this sound about right or am I overlooking anything major? -yikes!!

[Torqued]

I just upgraded from 3.0.5 -> 3.0.6 using Araxis Merge. Took me about an hour, but I have about a dozen hacks installed and had to rerun some queries manually.

[givemeplain]

Im about to do this using araxis merge, but won't just copying the code from the new files totally mess up the hacks installed? Do I copy everything that is different from the file comparison from vbNEW to vbOLD? Or do I have to look and see what is being changed.

[sross]

i got really frustrated with araxis merge and use beyond compare instead. I am not sure what I'll do this time, I guess open all vbnew files, and find my hacks in the vbold files, then copy the hack code from vbold to vbnew , then pray like hell..

[givemeplain]

++++. You're supposed to copy the code from vbold to vbnew? I was doing it the other way around

There goes around 30 min of work.

[pelican]

how does this sort of file compare method good in upgrading hacked board?

i mean, /vbNEW/ has the latest code, /vbOLD/ has hacked code and older codes.

Wont the older buggy codes been merge into together along with the hacked codes?

[Sooner95]

from what i gether here, you take "hack code" from vbOLD, and place it in vbNEw files.. if you have alot of hacks, I have close to 30, I expect this will take a couple hrs..but alot less than having to rehack them all.

then you test the board "vbNEW" files to make sure everything is working properly, hacks, and the board in general. If everything is peachy, then simply copy the vbNEW files over your "LIVE Board" files and your set.

Someone correct me if I am wrong.

big reason why I havnt upgraded in awhile, but this I will try, and if works, then way cool!..

[sross]

i use beyond compare and when copying old to new it is very easy, it actually highlights the different code so you can spot your hack, select it and send it over to the new code, it even inserts it where it should be automagically. It's my understanding that once all your hacks are copied over to the new code, you then upload the new code, and THEN you must run the upgrade script. But I am no expert so someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'll be upgrading today -shouldn't be too bad but not looking forward to it :(

[Sooner95]

guess another way, would be to get your files all set, make sure your "test board" works, then just redirect your domain to it..

[Smitty]

i use beyond compare and when copying old to new it is very easy, it actually highlights the different code so you can spot your hack, select it and send it over to the new code, it even inserts it where it should be automagically. It's my understanding that once all your hacks are copied over to the new code, you then upload the new code, and THEN you must run the upgrade script. But I am no expert so someone correct me if I'm wrong. I'll be upgrading today -shouldn't be too bad but not looking forward to it :(
For Mac people, bbedit does the same. A program like this is really handy.

[DS MrSinister]

Does anyone use meld to do this? If yes how woould i use it? I am new to linux.

[alderwazeh]

Quick question

Can I used this software to rescure some losting data in my VB db...
Example... say I have now VB version 3.0.6 ... with current posts of 2000
last month I lost 60 post by mestike ... can I recover these posts by merging the VBs of current and last ?! or merging the databases ?
I hope you understand my question

[oldfan]

Let me get this straight..

- I zip my current vb3, then unzip it on my HD and place it a a folder name vbOLD
- then I download newest version of vb3, then upzip it on my HD and place it a a folder name vbNEW

then follow steps 2,3 ?

thanks

[oldfan]

Let me get this straight..

- I zip my current vb3, then unzip it on my HD and place it a a folder name vbOLD
- then I download newest version of vb3, then upzip it on my HD and place it a a folder name vbNEW

then follow steps 2,3 ?

thanks

bump :)

[techxpert]

After comparing files and upload ,should I also upgrade the forum using the
http://www.domain.com/forum/install/upgrade.php

?

[hypnoticpimp]

nice can this work for IPB forum too?

[T_Montana]

when i hit ctrl+d to compare folders not all files are listed.For example in the admin cp folder 4 ".js" files are listed in vbold folder and 0 files listed in vbnew folder.At the bottom it says "127 removals '777 insertions '204 changes"

anyone know what's up?

^^^^anybody can snwer this?Really need to do an upgrade....

[headrat]

Right now, have the evaluation version because I have to get ahold of them for some varification thing, but, as I'm sure this was already addressed, I have a "dumb" question with using this.

I did the steps you said, and I have it all compared, now:

1. do I just go ahead upload any and all files to my server that are NOT in the old version? And will this be safe? For example. all the Skype stuff?

2. on the files that do show the changes, like example: function.php, do I just go ahead and copy over all 539 changes it says?

I'm assuming, if it is changed in the old version, those sections should stay there, but if I bring over the new sections from the new one to a file, will it play with my hacked part of that file?

Does that make any sense? Sorry, just timid.

[headrat]

Is there a support link someone can send me too, I'm getting nothing back from anyone here.

[Zelos]

Will this tutorial work with the latest versions of VB?

[peterska2]

Very few modifications are made to files since 3.5.0 came out. However, as it is possible that you may have installed a modification that made changes to one of your files, this method will still work.

[TECK]

This tutorial will work with any vBulletin version (if close). ;)
You will not be ok if you want to upgrade from 2.x to 3.x

[RedGTiVR6]

thanks to this tutorial we have upgraded to the newest version!

thanks for taking the time to write this article!

[reddyink]

how does this work

[RedGTiVR6]

Like the initial post says it works....?

[fly]

This really isn't relevant anymore.