How can I downgrade my vBulletin from 4.x.x to 3.x.x ??

[Fifth Dimension]

The Impex system is the easiest way to downgrade from Vb 4 to Vb 3. Just did this myself a couple of days ago.

Here is what you want to do.

First, create an empty database in your Cpanel -- call it "....._restore." This is important to do because you never want to work on your live forum, but instead always a copy of your real data, in case something doesn't work out. If you work on a back up and it doesn't work, at least you still have your live forum.

So, you've created your empty databse "...._restore." Then, add a database user, and give the database user all privileges. (I just added the same database user that I use for my live forum, since then you only have to keep track of one user, passwords etc. This will also be easier when you go to edit the various config.php files, which will happen later).

On this empty, "...._restore" database, restore a database backup that you would have mad of your live forum (in either phpMyAdmin or via SSH/Telnet). Once you restored the backup on to the empty databse, you have created an exact copy of your live forum's database.

Next, create a fresh installation of Vb 3 on your server. My guess is most of us know how to install a new copy of Vbulletin, so I won't go into details here. Just install it, and leave it blank.

Now, download a copy of Impex from members.vbulletin.com. Download the appropriate version (for Vb 3 in this instance).

Follow the instructions on how to upload Impex to your server, to the Vb 3 installion. You will first have to edit the config file in Impex to the appropriate settings. Specifically, it will ask you the server information for both your source database and your target database. Your target database will be the database you created for the new installation of Vb 3. Your source database will be the backup copy of your live forum, the "....._restore" database, that we created earlier. Enter in all the relevant data here (such as database name, database user, user password, etc). Save changes to the Impex config.php file and upload.

Now, go back to your Vb 3 Installation and log in to Vb Admin CP. At the very top left you should see "Import." Click on Import. If you have entered all the information correctly in the config file, you should see two drop down options -- one for what kind of platform you are starting from and what kind of platform you are going to. For the first drop down, you want to select "Option 97: Vbulletin 3.7-3.8 (something like that). For the second drop down, you want to again select the "Vbulletion 3.7-3.8 option." Basically you are telling Impex to go from Vb 3.8 to Vb 3.8. Even though it's not really from Vb 3.8 to Vb 3.8, Impex figures it out.

Then, run the import process. You will get a prompt of about 10 - 15 modules to run, such as "Import Users, Import Avatars, etc". Just go through each of them by clicking the "start module" button, run all these processes. Be careful with the "Associate Users" module. It will ask you to enter in different usernames, if need be (as in you are changing usernames between the rollback) but I just left these blank. It's probably better to just import users as is, and then make these types of changes manually.

Anyway, run through all the import modules. Once you have done that, you then need to go to "Maintenance" in the Admin CP and run all the "Update Counter" options. Things like "Rebuild Thread information"; "Rebuild Avatar Thumbnails", etc. Run all these update counters.

Once you have done that, your forum is now running on Vb 3. Hope this helps.

[Lynne]

I do not think your method will work for any attachments that may be on the forum. The database structure in the database for attachments changed and telling impex you are going from a 3.x database to a 3.x database isn't going to transfer that information.

[Fifth Dimension]

That is an excellent point, Lynne. It slipped my mind since we don't really use attachments at my forum.

What is the method you are referring to in post 2? Are the two databases (between Vb4 and Vb3) simply compatible, and all one needs to do is just restore a backup to a new database and have Vb3 simply access that database? If that is so, then that is even easier then Impex.

Will that work for forums that began in Vb 4 and were never part of Vb 3?