Need Help! Back-up errors

It's not picking you your tableprefix.  Did you try just getting the db backup through phpMyAdmin?  Since fixing the eFiction problem won't solve the forum problem that might be one way to go.

I actually dont have access to phpmyadmin. My web guy does all the db stuff for me because I haven't a clue. Is there an (easy) way to fix just the efiction archive and I'll let him worry about the forum?

Are you up to date?  There was a problem earlier with the db backup but it should be fixed with the current version.

I have 3.3, which was just installed in August. I'll have to see if an update has been made available since then. If so, hopefully that will fix it.

3.3.1 is the current version. That came out in September.

How are you doing the forums back-up if you don't have phpMyAdmin? Of what error does the "back-up" file for forums consist?

Also, I'm not sure what exactly is your situation? The given error doesn't seem like it would happen during a backup.

And I'd suggest that your web guy does all the backuping and restores data if need be. He should be able to access phpMyAdmin for easier backuping or have access to the database in command-line (which would bypass PHP with all its limitations) for even easier backuping, or have access to the database data files themselves (which would be even more easier). Then if you want you can ask backup from him when you need and no problem thinking about how to properly do it.

^ I'm using a cronjob to back-up my databases regularly. 😛

Well *sighs* the situation is that he has hosted my site for free for the past 2 years and I feel terrible asking him to do anything extra for me. He sets up the database when I need one, installs php programs like efiction and my forum and, now that a back-up needs to be installed for my hacked forum, he's in charge of that, too. Yes, he has access to phpmyadmin. I maintain and modify everything (except the database itself)  through Adobe Go Live.

I download the backups through the admin panels of both programs and I do it constantly. No more than 3 days apart. That;s too much to ask of him, I think, as he hosts many sites for businesses as his source of income. I dont want to pain-in-the-ass myself into paying for my webspace lol. I know he backed up the hacked forum for some reason, so it must work for him in phpmyadmin. I'm really not sure what the 1kb forum backups I'm getting say. (EDIT: it wont open, says the file is invalid or damaged.) I will definately update my efiction install and see if that works. This could be two separate problems.

(of course an update came out right after I installed lol.)

Just to elaborate, this does appear to be two separate problems, believe it or not. Odd that both progs didnt backup for two different reasons, but that appears to be the case. I did run the efiction update and downloaded what seems to be a valid backup. It's 457 kb instead of 1kb and contains tons of archive info instead of an error. (I've never seen a back-up before.) I looked the entire thing over and, please forgive my ignorance, but should this be in place of entire chapters? J/w

INSERT INTO fanfiction_chapters VALUES("128", "Chapter 26: Last Resort", "26", "", "", "", "1", "1006", "0", "0", "32", "16", "52");

I will throw the forum backup problem back to my web guy. Since it is not sitewide as we thought it was, its probably settings or something with invision. Thanks so much for the help, guys!

If you've got the archive set to store the stories in files instead of the database, yes that's correct.

I do believe they are stored in a file called "stories." Thanks. Now I don;t have to worry all the time about a hack with no backup.