Errors importing old database to fresh install
 

Here is my situation:
I have a database from my site that used to work correctly. I was in the process of upgrading to a different server, and the import won't work. So, I have made a local test server. I was able to install vB and everything fine. However, when I imported the database, the links (such as seen on the right hand side) always link to wrong threads. Secondly, some threads have a user that posted the original thread, and the thread is viewable from the forum page, however when you click the link you get directed to the post reply page. When you click post, nothing happens and it states an error. Additionally, when you click the user's name that started one of these threads, it gives an error saying that the user isn't registered, although the user does exist in the database and does appear in the members list when viewed in vB.

Is this an error in database formatting or what? Should this be fixed through SQL or is there a way to fix it through impex/admincp?

Secondly, I have an error with the theme. The color scheme shows up fine, and the layout is fine, however none of the images are present you only get the broken image placeholder. The image file exists and is in the correct directory. What is likely the problem here?

You should never be installing vBulletin to restore the database. You just restore the database to a clean database.

Additionally to what Zachery said, you shouldn't be importing to upgrade or all your links WILL break. You need to move your database and then run the upgrade.php script on that database.

Technically we were just moving servers, and not really upgrading, but now that I looked, we're going from 4.2.0 to 4.2.1. Is that going to make a big difference and cause those problems I mentioned in the OP?

EDIT: Actually, the old Administration of the site had attempted to restore this database onto the site, which is currently 4.2.0. So, the version shouldn't be the issue here. What else can cause this problem?

If you're just moving servers: http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/m...rsion=40200603

Here's the story. There was a vBulletin forum. The VPS it was running on was accidentally wiped, and the Previous administration had only one local (not on the vps) backup of the site. They didn't seem to want to invest the time to figure out how to get the old Database back, and so they sold the site. However, before selling the site, they started a completely new version of the site. There are a couple thousand posts on the site now. I bought the site, and I want to get the old DB to merge into the new one (that's currently running live).

The live data on the site is completely new, although the forums are the same .

In order to fix it, I've got a (Local) test site set up. I installed vBulletin, and then used ImpEx to merge a dump of the live site. It worked fine. Then I tried to merge the OLD DB (with the live site dump), and it didn't work.

What happened when you tried to ImpEx the old database into the test site?

It imported. It worked fine from the ImpEx standpoint, no errors really.. Just took forever (obviously)... however, all of the links are broken on finished site.

Links to what? If they are links to threads or users or anything like that, then yes, they will be broken. Or, if they are links to the old site, then yes, that will be broken also. Did you use the cleaner script after you ran ImpEx?

Really? All the links are supposed to be broken? How come?

Here's the way that they are broken: When you click, say, the announcements forum and enter into /announcements, all of the threads you see look correct. However, once you click the thread you're sent to a completely different thread with the wrong url title.

We did run the maintenance > rebuild thread info.

How would I go about fixing links?