I was just wondering if I could help.
I have a forum on a free forums website, and I have about 100 members on my message boards.
I want to move this forum here after I close it down to new posts.
So far, I have managed to lock it down, but I can't get hold of the database.
After a few emails to the owners of the free forums website, they are not responding.
There are no facilities that I can see to get a hold of the database.
Once I get the database, I can put my old forum in the BB Archives, yeah?
I just want to leave it online as there are some useful posts on it, so if you help me, I will be able to put that forum here for future reference.
Thanks in advance.
Help needed with database
Re: Help needed with database
Unfortunately, with those free forums, they can hold you to ransom.
Not having access to the database is a massive problem that we can't do anything about.
You could keep persisting with your attempted communication and hope that someone responds.
However, I would imagine that they will ask for a fee to get into the database, so good luck with that.
Obviously, if you do get it, let us know, and you can use the BB Archive here to lay it to rest.
However, unlike those free forums, here you can always have access to the database and operate your website as normal.
Best of luck.
Not having access to the database is a massive problem that we can't do anything about.
You could keep persisting with your attempted communication and hope that someone responds.
However, I would imagine that they will ask for a fee to get into the database, so good luck with that.
Obviously, if you do get it, let us know, and you can use the BB Archive here to lay it to rest.
However, unlike those free forums, here you can always have access to the database and operate your website as normal.
Best of luck.
Re: Help needed with database
I emailed these again today so its a waiting game 
Re: Help needed with database
Obviously, if you get a reply, get back to us.
Be prepared, though, their fees might be extortionate.
But they may do it out of the goodness of their hearts.
Free hosting and free forums are never the way to go, in my opinion, and in cases such as this, they can prove costly.
Re: Help needed with database
I am getting no satisfaction at all, and after speaking with others, I am not confident about getting my free forum database. So, what other options are available? I don't really want to abandon the community that I built up, as it took so long.
Re: Help needed with database
There's very little you can do if they refuse to give you the database.
That's the peril of using free forums—just don't do it!
Sorry if it seems a little harsh, but you get what you pay for—pay nothing, get nothing.
My advice is to start all over again and email all your members, telling them what you are doing.
Obviously, make an announcement on the front page with a link to your new forum.
Don't close the old forum until you have the attention of your active members.
Inactive ones will not follow but maybe that's a good thing.