[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.