When you upgraded to 2.8, did you run a series of smaller upgrades or try to upgrade in 1 big step?
i did 1 big step…this is a blog i had sort of neglected but i am now bringing it back to life
I suspect that’s where the problem occurred. What version were you running before the upgrade?
unfortunately i dont know what the prior version was, i think i may have done a full backup though. should i try to restore to the backup version?
What I think you need to do is downgrade to your previous WP version and then upgrade again in a series of smaller steps. Or you try a fresh install of 2.8 using a new database and see if you can import your posts from the old database. Either way, I think you need to proceed very cautiously because you could seriously mess up your site and lose posts etc.
I’d suggest posting a new topic along the lines of “Database & Upgrade Compatibility Issues” and reference this topic. If you can possibly recall what version of WP you were using, so much the better.
I’ve not carried out a downgrade and, for all I know, there could be a run-once patch out there that will bring your database in line with your WP version. So I’d hate to give you bad info.
i wonder if i just try to export my mysql data somehow and import it into a fresh wordpress installation?
You could try that. It’s probably the most cautious option.