Can't get images back

Is there any way I can restore my WordPress site without a database backup? It seems that something in my database corrupts certain features of WordPress.

I’ve managed to import all my posts, pages, comments, categories and tags successfully from the import option. Then reinstall a copy of my theme from a FTP backup. Everything looks great from there but even though I FTP all my WordPress images back in (which show live on the blog), they’re not included in the media library. Is there a way to just import the media library from a database backup?

I have moved the blog to a different directory so I can still access it while I’ve set up a fresh install.

Here’s a full explanation:

Since July last year I moved from Blogger to WordPress.org. But in its own directory on my web server temporarily so I could adjust the theme settings an generally get it to how I wanted it to look before it went live. Then moved it to the root (following the WordPress moving instructions) and I thought all was well.

Scheduling posts never worked since the go, nor did pingbacks and trackbacks. And I noticed that the visual/HTML editor tab doesn’t show at all but I assumed that was because I wrote in HTML anyway – I was wrong.

A few days ago, I moved the blog from the root to a directory, then installed a fresh copy of WordPress in the root. Uploaded my themes back and did some testing. Pingbacks/trackbacks, scheduling posts and the visual/HTML all working. Imported all posts, pages, categories and tags and uploaded via FTP the uploads back and all was great and showed well apart from no featured images.

I went to edit in manually the featured images but the media library is empty despite the images all being uploaded to the same directory as before. I tried to use a plugin that imports all photos and sets a featured image to each post but all this did was import hotlinked images (from the old Blogger posts) and the later (WordPress) images reported that they were already in the media library – they’re not.

This is where I gave up and uploaded the database backup and edited the database URL. Everything is back but there must be a lot of issues in the database as the problems with pingbacks/trackbacks, scheduled posts and the visual/HTML editor are all broken again. I also have issues with plugins not functioning which I suspect is due to the issues in the database.

Is there anyway at all I can move forward and import the media library? I could always go back through each and every post and re-import just the featured image to get everything back but this seems like a long workaround.

Any help at all is appreciated before I slam my head too hard on the desk!!

Thanks in advance.

Lisa.

Copy of site: http://www.sweet2eatbaking.com/wordpress/