Saurus

There is an FAQ on the Codex listing step by step how to backup your DB via phpMyadmin.

Anytime you see an .ru address you have a possible attempt. First – change your password to something over 10 digits/characters. Next, install either/or/both the Akismet plugin and Bad behavior plugin. Set the filter for anything containing a url. I think it might be wise to download a dump of your database and look through it to see if there are any suspicious entires there. If not – make a new backup of the DB and all your WP files via FTP to either your system or an off-site location. You should also look into additional security via your .htaccess file.

There is an FAQ on the Codex about hardening your WP install from attack. Read that too.

I do it either of two ways – sometimes both. At the end of what I write, I add a SOURCE link to the url of the original post, and then use the trackback url for the story if the site has one.

Host backups, on the other hand, cost money, to the host. We, for instance use a SAN. It uses power, it uses cooling. It also costs my boss money to pay me to do things that the end user should have been taking care of.

I assumed backing up would cost a host some money, whooami, but I also assumed that would be a service included in the hosting package costs. I agree end users are ultimately responsible for their own backups, though. That is entirely reasonable.

The $75 the OP cited does seem a bit over the top, though – wouldn’t you agree?

However, kudos to Figaro for handling this for the OP. Above and beyond.

Which editor are you using? Are you pasting content from another writer? Why are you styling content from your php file? Content should be styled from your styles.css.

Who is your host? Restricting the number of backups a customer can make is absurd, as is them charging you for a backup. That company needs some exposure.

To view your DB you have to first download it to your system. Use the export, save to file option in the phpMyAdmin section of your panel.

To restore your WP I would not use your hosts fantastico option – I’d install it manually via your FTP account. There are entirely too many stories about files going awry when using these auto install gadgets to suit me. Do it manually and you know what is going and where it’s going.

It would appear from their statement that – unfortunately – all your posts are gone. They would have been in the database they report “has been lost/removed”. I find it hard to believe a reliable host does not have their own database backups that might help you recover your data but it appears they did not.

Have you checked into the archived file you have? I’m not an authority on databases, but maybe there is recoverable data there. I imagine it would be a lot of work to recreate your writings, but it’s a shot.

I suppose this is a very good example of why we are told to make regular backups of our DB’s and files. I do it weekly in case of a disaster like this.