Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Web Hosting : Help moving a site

[Socrat]

I have a client who came to me after a bad experience with their old host and gave me their site in the form of a zip file they got from their old host and they had no idea what was in the zip file.

Even though it's a static site, it uses a content manager called Mambo for some reason, and I'm having a really hard time getting the site back up. When I try to upload the SQL dump, I get tons of weird errors including I may have found a bug in the SQL parser.

I've uploaded the files themselves and I get a "domain is parked" page as the main page and a PHP error if I try any other page. I would have expected something more useful if the only problem was the missing DB.

Can anyone give me advice on getting the site to run, or even extract the static pages and run it as a static site? I would just use my browser to download static pages but I repointed the DNS nameservers already and I don't know the old IP or how to access the site by IP.

Thanks,
Jason

[Tina J]

What a nightmare. I doubt that its going to be salvagable.

See if you can get access to the old hosting account, even if it means pointing the DNS back to the old host for a bit. Hopefully, both hosts use the same control panel - so you can easily restore from a control panel generated backup.

--Tina

[2Macs Jim]

Maybe Mambo can help you out or even try their forums? http://mamboserver.com/

[pj1s]

Whhoppsss Jim got there first...

Dont know if this helps...

But i see two decent worth-a-try options...

One: go to www.mamboserver.com and see if someone can give you a hand...

Mambo being the 'old' version of joomla - maybe someone has faced somewhat similar problems porting with .zip from mambo to joomla ... www.joomla.org/

Trying on both community forums wouldnt hurt. Maybe theres a simple solution.

Good luck.

[Socrat]

He doesn't have control panel access to the old host. I set up a 1and1 account for the site now, and they use a custom control panel.

As for pointing the DNS back just so I can access the old site, I don't know if the old host still has it up but even if they do, I don't have the old nameservers.

[Greedisgood]

Originally Posted by Socrat

I have a client who came to me after a bad experience with their old host and gave me their site in the form of a zip file they got from their old host and they had no idea what was in the zip file.

Even though it's a static site, it uses a content manager called Mambo for some reason, and I'm having a really hard time getting the site back up. When I try to upload the SQL dump, I get tons of weird errors including I may have found a bug in the SQL parser.

I've uploaded the files themselves and I get a "domain is parked" page as the main page and a PHP error if I try any other page. I would have expected something more useful if the only problem was the missing DB.

Can anyone give me advice on getting the site to run, or even extract the static pages and run it as a static site? I would just use my browser to download static pages but I repointed the DNS nameservers already and I don't know the old IP or how to access the site by IP.

Thanks,
Jason

Mate, Check if there is a .htaccess file inside the root directory.
My last host * No Names Mentioned * had a small project I was working on. When I left, They made a backup for me.


Ok, so I moved all of my files to my VPS. And after 4 days, I go to check out the domain, but it is ALWAYS directing back to my ex-host's suspended page.


Sick of it, i rechecked my directory, and What do you know, there in the root directory is a bloody .htaccess-suspended file.

I removed it, and it still had that annoying suspended page, so I removed all of the .htaccessfiles.


They must have added the .htaccess files as a bitter last word for not renewing my webhosting subscription with them.



After that, bingo the page loads like normal.




So what I was trying to say, was, check in your root directory to see if it has any .htaccess files in there.

[bear]

They must have added the .htaccess files as a bitter last word for not renewing my webhosting subscription with them.

More likely they had suspended the site (which adds the htaccess) and then later backed up via shell....doesn't sound intentional to me.

[Greedisgood]

Originally Posted by bear

More likely they had suspended the site (which adds the htaccess) and then later backed up via shell....doesn't sound intentional to me.

They can easily go into WHM and click two buttons to suspend my account.

[bear]

Not following you. It sounded to me like they suspended you, and then backed it up...odd, but possible. What did you mean?

[Greedisgood]

Originally Posted by bear

Not following you. It sounded to me like they suspended you, and then backed it up...odd, but possible. What did you mean?

What happened was, I purchased hosting for a month, then the hosting ran out, they suspended my account.



I asked why, they said that my hosting ran out. So i asked if I could access my CP to grab a backup of my files. They respond by asknig if I was continunig hosting under them.

I said no.


They said " Blah blah Against our rules, to allow clients to access their control panel regardless of the reason if they had no paid blah blah "

I could not have been bothered arguing.

End result, they offered to transfer a full backup and shift it to another server. I agreed and provided FTP Details.


Obviously, changing servers = changing nameservers. I then changed them to point to my new server.

After what? 4 days, I still get directed to their Suspended Page.

Fustrated, I triple checked my nameservers. They were correct.

With that, I then checked my directory files, and what do you know, I see a .htaccess-suspended file. Angrily I deleted the file. I tryed refreshing my page ,and i STILL get directed to their suspended page. I then deleted the .htaccess file.


With that everything is worked.



I know in WHM , you can *easily* just suspend somebody's account ( And let me tell you, I *Know* I was suspended, as I kept getting rejected when I was trying to login into my CPanel account.


Obviously they did this to piss me off? Well damn they did piss me off alright. But luckily I'm off of their servers,.

*No names Mentioned.


*Sorry Socrat for going way off topic.

*EDIT2:
Don't tell me WHM Automatically creates the suspended .htaccess files?

[bear]

Originally Posted by BobJane

Don't tell me WHM Automatically creates the suspended .htaccess files?

Yes, it does. In that file is a redirect for all accesses to go to the suspended page.
They suspended you, it created that file automatically. They backed it up while it was suspended...it had that file in it. Simple.

[Tina J]

Originally Posted by BobJane

What happened was, I purchased hosting for a month, then the hosting ran out, they suspended my account.



I asked why, they said that my hosting ran out. So i asked if I could access my CP to grab a backup of my files. They respond by asknig if I was continunig hosting under them.

I said no.


They said " Blah blah Against our rules, to allow clients to access their control panel regardless of the reason if they had no paid blah blah "

I could not have been bothered arguing.

End result, they offered to transfer a full backup and shift it to another server. I agreed and provided FTP Details.


Obviously, changing servers = changing nameservers. I then changed them to point to my new server.

After what? 4 days, I still get directed to their Suspended Page.

Fustrated, I triple checked my nameservers. They were correct.

With that, I then checked my directory files, and what do you know, I see a .htaccess-suspended file. Angrily I deleted the file. I tryed refreshing my page ,and i STILL get directed to their suspended page. I then deleted the .htaccess file.


With that everything is worked.



I know in WHM , you can *easily* just suspend somebody's account ( And let me tell you, I *Know* I was suspended, as I kept getting rejected when I was trying to login into my CPanel account.


Obviously they did this to piss me off? Well damn they did piss me off alright. But luckily I'm off of their servers,.

*No names Mentioned.


*Sorry Socrat for going way off topic.

*EDIT2:
Don't tell me WHM Automatically creates the suspended .htaccess files?

Let me get this straight. You didn't pay your hosting bill because you were cancelling with them. You then decided you needed a backup of your files. Your host was kind enough to give you a backup AND offer to move your files to a new host. You're mad at them?

--Tina

[ldcdc]

I don't know if the old host still has it up but even if they do, I don't have the old nameservers.

Maybe you know someone with a paid account who can use the whois history (domaintools.com) and find the old nameservers out for you?

[Greedisgood]

Originally Posted by AH-Tina

Let me get this straight. You didn't pay your hosting bill because you were cancelling with them. You then decided you needed a backup of your files. Your host was kind enough to give you a backup AND offer to move your files to a new host. You're mad at them?

--Tina

I didn't receive any warnings before the suspension.