Quote Originally Posted by ts232
Nope that didn't fix it. For now I'm using mysqldump from the shell. Can't find any info about the mentioned security restrictions being implemented on my host. If anyone has any ideas I am all ears, otherwise I'll stick with the shell approach.
When you installed or upgraded Zen Cart the pre-flight check (install wizard) should have indicated some of this.

Go to Admin > Tools > Server Info to observe your server configuration [same as phpinfo()] and a little bit more info.

Woody