My entire website is gone while installing 3.x

[andresgillis]

Hello all, I hadn't used my website in a while, but wanted to update to the newer version without knowing I had to do a backup or anything else. It downloaded correctly but once I tried to run it, it completely ruined my website and cant even access the menu in joomla, as if it got completely deleted.

This is the error I got once everything went crazy:

Table 'qsa189.#__postinstall_messages' doesn't exist SQL=SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM

Any help is appreciated.
Thanks

[AMurray]

[Edited and Updated Post]
I'm not sure if have confused with "installing" and "updating" Joomla - if you have an existing site, all you needed to do was update Joomla from within the Administrator area. What you have done appears to be to copy new version files over the top of the existing files, but without having performed the associated database updates that would usually be done had you done the update the standard way.

What version of Joomla are you running (the current release is 3.9.24)? Can you please run the FPA (Forum Post Assistant) utility and post the report results to a reply on this thread? Please visit https://forumpostassistant.github.io/docs/ for details.

1. Lesson learned: Backup first! The Joomla update component warns you doing this about this.

2. Lesson Learned: update Joomla through the Update component.

3. Copying over the files is half the job. There are database updates that need to be completed, and when you copied the files, the database was not updated.

4. This script might help with (3) above. https://gist.github.com/mbabker/d7bfb4e ... 3607f89281. Copy the script code to a txt file, save it as [filename].php, then upload that file to the joomla folder on your hosting. Run the file from your browser. It should do the database corrections.

I'm not guaranteeing (4) will work; but it is a possibly-likely-to-work-solution. Without a backup the only other solution is to start the site from scratch. Did you read the "update" instructions concerning updating Joomla (for whatever version you're working with)?

[abernyte]

If all else fails, your Host maybe able to restore your site to the pre-update state.

[darb]

@andresgillis do you have a website link url to your site?

[AMurray]

Regarding host restoring site, on my web host, they have a cPanel backup utility that is a very easy backup tool. It's a do it yourself type but it allows you to backup files/directories and databases or pick and choose what you backup.

Not saying all hosts have that. But you should have the basic cPanel database backup at the very least available to you (cPanel used as one example - your host may use an equivalent hosting administration system).

[Webdongle]

Did you install a fresh Joomla over an existing site?

[darb]

So one time forum post and if my site dissappear I would be active and come back to discuss and comment.

No feedback and important no url.

This more like again a Wordpress tribe discouraging Joomla attack again...

[leolam]

Regarding host restoring site, on my web host, they have a cPanel backup utility that is a very easy backup tool. It's a do it yourself type but it allows you to backup files/directories and databases or pick and choose what you backup.

Not saying all hosts have that. But you should have the basic cPanel database backup at the very least available to you (cPanel used as one example - your host may use an equivalent hosting administration system).

He has no backup. He installed Joomla 3.x over a 2.5 version so the site is gone, finished, auf wiedersehen. Only option is to ask the host if they have a backup that can be restored

Leo