If you download copies of Members, Messages, Boards, and Variables folders from your YaBB folder, you have backed up your forum. If your forum goes down because of a technical issue, reinstall YaBB from the source and put these folders back into the forum and your site should be back up and running!

OK, that's the fresh start, isn't it? - Good Luck

Personally, I would begin with re-installing, then getting your Forum back to where it was and functional.  Lastly, I would tackle the upgrade (it won't be major).

In a case like this what I might do is - 'presume' you will make it to the 2.5AE version, and make my folders on a new server accordingly.

cgi-bin
  yabb23  <= restore files to here via upload
  yabb  <= plan on using this for YaBB 2.5
public_html
  yabb23files <= restore files to here via upload
  yabbfiles <= plan on using this for YaBB 2.5

then (presumably) your URL's will be as they were previously

Good Luck and Happy Holidays

The links in the Codex are useful, but I can cut to the chase for you -

On your new host, do a complete clean installation of the same YaBB version you were running on the old host.  You didn't mention the version, and that is critical.  If the version is "too old', no one here may be able to help you debug, me included.  I'll wait judgment on your response. Generally 2.3.1, 2.4 an 2.5AE share most of the same code, and most of the security fixes are in them, and they mostly have up-to-date mod's and anti-spam tools for them.

Make sure everything works, including registration, e-mail for notifications and password changes.  Make sure you can post to the General and Test boards that come with a clean install. By default you should be able to attach a file in the test board, see if that works.

Once everything is 'right'. take a YaBB Backup.

IF you had 'mods' installed, now is the right time to reintroduce them.  They may well have changed your data structure, and a 'clean board' may not work with your modified data.

When things are copacetic and backed up, its time to restore the 'data only'.

Read this Codex Article
http://www.yabbforum.com/codex/YaBB.pl?num=1190674425

Of course, depending on how the backup was made, and restored - you should check file permissions on all the files you upload.

CHMOD:
http://www.yabbforum.com/codex/YaBB.pl?num=1190660838

Don't forget to restore yabbfiles/Attachments as well.

Good Luck

The worst thing has happened and the host I was with has locked my account (long story) and now all I have is my backups and I want to move to a new host (of course).

When I have set up a new hosting account - how do I proceed (I am not very IT savvie).

I think I have to install Yabb and then restore my latest backup - Is that it and is there a tutorial on "How To"

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Tony - Australia