Taking over a forum without password

[Alvin63]

Hi. I'm trying to take over a forum that someone wants to hand on. It's not on Xenforo. The problem is they don't have the email address or password for the forum software. The current owner bought the site from someone else about 8 years ago, and just left it ticking over. It needs upgrading - they can't upgrade it as don't have the email or password. So how can they hand it over?! Presumably they could contact the forum software company and ask them to reset it all somehow?

 

[MySiteGuy]

I assume you mean server control panel email and password, since that access level is needed to upgrade older forum software? Or do you mean no one has forum admin user level access?

 

[Alvin63]

I assume so too. The owner just said they have no email address or password to do the forum software updates. The owner bought the site from someone years ago and just left it running as it is. I suspect they have no technical experience whatsoever! And it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't have admin access either as nothing's been updated on the site for years! But with the latter, presumably that could be reset with the forum software manufacturer. So it's probably the server login they're talking about.

 

[Max Taxable]

I assume so too. The owner just said they have no email address or password to do the forum software updates. The owner bought the site from someone years ago and just left it running as it is. I suspect they have no technical experience whatsoever! And it wouldn't surprise me if they didn't have admin access either as nothing's been updated on the site for years! But with the latter, presumably that could be reset with the forum software manufacturer. So it's probably the server login they're talking about.

Somebody's paying hosting somewhere.

 

[briansol]

if you can get the database dump and filesystem dump, you can get in.

Dig for details about the host, and try to get connected with them. even if they lost it, there's a way in via customer support.

 

[beerForo]

More importantly, make sure this is a legal purchase with all proper documentation. You don't want to "buy" a site that has no login credentials just to find out you didn't have the credentials for a reason.

 

[Alvin63]

Cheers all. That's what I suggested - that the current owner contacts server customer support. Not heard anything back. She wants to hand it on but doesn't seem to have a clue about it - just bought it from someone else as it was. Yep someone must be paying the server so she must know who that is.

 

[Alvin63]

Ok so - I'm trying to work out how this works. Assuming she can get into the forum software as admin (login) and login to the server, there would also need to be transfer of/purchase of the domain name.

What would happen if the domain name was transferred to me, but the site still set up (and her unable to log in to change anything?. Would the site continue with just new owner owning the domain (but unable to manage it). Or would the site just be taken down once the domain name was transferred?

Obviously if it was the latter then the site content would be lost.

 

[briansol]

Same thing with the domain registrar -- they need a login to it or a way to recover it at the host (godaddy, namecheap, etc where it is registerred).

They can push the domian to your account at the same registrar esasily, and then after X days, you can move it where ever you want.

When you own the domain, you can point it to resolve to your server.