KERFLEWY - Site Down No Backup - Alternatives Needed

SITUATION:

Rogue FTP deleted files. Exactly what files unkknown at this time. Nothing to compare to other than original install files 1.3.8a.

Site is down hard.

:oops:NO BACKUP.

DB is intact. Complete backups of what is left have been made.

NEXT STEPS?

• Resign myself to the fact that I will have to reinstall from scratch, and rebuild everything with SAME version over existing DB

• Resign myself to the fact that I will have to reinstall from scratch, and rebuild everything with LATEST version over existing DB (essentially upgrade)

• Resign myself to the fact that I will have to reinstall from scratch, and rebuild everything with LATEST version over NEW DB (fresh install) and somehow import sales and customer data.

NEED PLAN OF ACTION:

We need our sales data for reporting purposes. I am really at a loss at how to proceed here. I don't care about cosmetics so much as getting the store back up and running.

The first step I would take is to download a fresh set of v1.3.8 and run Winmerge to see just what files are missing or changed. If some of the missing files are in custom template folders, this wouldn't catch that, but at least you would know what base files to upload to your site. Then if it runs but looks different in some way, you will have to investigate what mod files may be missing.

If there are lots of missing files, it might be easier to upload the whole fresh set; any missing ones will be quietly replaced, and existing ones will be replaced if you allow them. You would not want to replace the /includes/configure.php or /admin/includes/configure.php files.

Thanks brother...thats pretty much what I have started to do:

1 - Delete everything off the server
2 - Upload full file-set of installed version
3 - copy over configure.php and admin/configure.php
4 - Start working folder by folder overwriting any files and adding ones from what was left after the crash

So far it looks like I killed the FTP process before it could delete too much. Even the template has come pack, along with my shipping and payment modules.

I think we are going to be OK! More luck than anything else, but it still counts.

Now the question is, where did the rogue FTP come from? Unless you know that, and know that it won't happen again, you are still at risk.

Are you hosted?

They should have a backup....

Nope...not an option for this host.

We are up for renewal soon and we are looking at another host anyway. We just learned a valuable lesson.

1 - Back up your stuff yourself as it makes for a faster return to service
2 - Make sure you know what features you actually get from your host rather than what is advertised

The rogue FTP was our copy of Filezilla, or rather thats what we thought it was.

It all turned out to be a stuck delete key on an old keyboard.

"It all turned out to be a stuck delete key on an old keyboard."

OUCH!!!!