# Recovering lost threads



## Morrus

This will not always work, but it's worth a try.

If you know the URL of a thread which was lost (perhaps you bookmarked it) you may be able to find it again.

Go to the address in your browser, but add *cache:* before the URL. It may well still be in your browser cache if you have not cleared it recently. You will then have to copy/paste and repost it.


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## Nagol

Alternatively, use google to search for some keywords targeting enworld.org and if you're lucky, google will still have a cache.

For example, if I wanted to look at my posts in the DC 30 to 35 thread, I'd enter the following in the google search box (without the quotes): "site:enworld.org Nagol ManBearCat 2016 30 35".  A cache exists and can be viewed if there is a small triangle to the right of the green URL in the item.  Click the triangle to use the cache version.


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## tuxgeo

Hmm. I tried that to find the cached version of my "Teaser for Moana" thread. 

Google did show small, green triangles; but when I clicked them, all I got was the main Google home page.


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## Nagol

tuxgeo said:


> Hmm. I tried that to find the cached version of my "Teaser for Moana" thread.
> 
> Google did show small, green triangles; but when I clicked them, all I got was the main Google home page.




I get sent to the home page if I use the other mouse button.  Clicking once with the main mouse button should have a small pop-up with the word "Cache".  Choosing that item brings up the cached version.  

What were the search terms, if I may ask?


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## tuxgeo

OK, I'll bet it was the "mouse button" issue. I'll try clicking on the word, "Cache." 

The search terms were 
site:enworld.org "teaser for moana"


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## Nagol

Some of the results are cached.

Here's the direct link to the first google cache in the results: http://webcache.googleusercontent.c...ser-for-Moana/page2+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca It's page 2.


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## eamon

Now that enworld is up again and those ids are being reused, I wouldn't count on the google cache staying around for a long time, however.

I just checked archive.org, and alas the last spider of enworld was in may this year, so no luck there.


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## Cleon

Hi all!

I'd like to mention that I routinely archive our Creature Catalog conversions over on *General Monster Talk* as soon as they are completed, so it'd be simple enough to repost those once things are back to normal. At the moment we don't have any threads apart from the stickied ones in Monster Talk and Homebrews is entirely empty.

Unfortunately any conversion that hadn't been finished aren't in my personal computer's archive since I saw little point in updating them with each change.

Freyar and I are in the process of recovering what we can of the CC forum's "working draft" monster conversions from Google's caches and our fading memories. As far as I can tell only one is missing completely - the Paper Warrior - but we've been set back a few weeks or months with the others.

Is it possible to safely recover the most recently saved version of a post from its post ID? If so, we could get the most up-to-date versions of the Working Drafts back.

Is there any chance that the latest versions of the threads can be recovered from the enworld hard drives or are they gone for good? Even if you can only extract the Creature Catalog forum threads as raw text I'd be willing to put in the time to parse out the monster conversions and repost them.


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## Morrus

We've recovered everything we can.

However, the CC threads are not lost! I'm not sure why, but they all ended up in the 5E forum.  They're all there. That's odd. I appreciate it's a PITA!


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## Cleon

Morrus said:


> We've recovered everything we can.




That's unfortunate but I was afraid that's how it would be. I've finished checking my archive and google's caches and there appear to be only a dozen or so converted monsters who were "broken".

All the others new critters are available and are in a updated version of the *Test CC Archive* I sent Darjr a few months ago. It should be a relatively simple matter to replace the current CCtest with the update.



Morrus said:


> However, the CC threads are not lost! I'm not sure why, but they all ended up in the 5E forum.  They're all there. That's odd. I appreciate it's a PITA!




Wandering into an area two editions away from where they belong seems a pretty good definition of lost to me! 

I appreciate it's hardly a high priority, but once you've got everything cleaned up is there any prospect of the threads moving back to their original forums?

If not there are ways Freyar and I could work around it.


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## Morrus

Cleon said:


> I appreciate it's hardly a high priority, but once you've got everything cleaned up is there any prospect of the threads moving back to their original forums?




Actually moving them is easy. Finding them not so much! How many threads are we talking?


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## freyar

The General Monster Talk forum (other than the sticky threads) has 18 pages of threads with I think 100 threads per page.  However, very few of these have been posted in during the last year or even few years.  Based on the google cache, there are about 14 threads that have posts since May (Cleon may know of one or two more).  The thread titles and thread numbers of these are as follows:

Corrections to Monsters in the CC, thread 331722
Converting monsters from Dragon magazine, thread 290367
Unconverted Ravenloft creatures, thread 161776
Converting Planescape monsters, thread 248731
Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings, thread 296304
Converting Oriental Adventures creatures, thread 268435
Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters, thread 299943
Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk, thread 299942
Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase, thread 335543
Converting First Edition Monsters, thread 294035
Converting Epic Level Creatures, thread 298543


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## Cleon

Morrus said:


> Actually moving them is easy. Finding them not so much! How many threads are we talking?




I'd like to discuss it with Freyar but I guess that to start out we only need *Creatures Awaiting Upload & Current Conversions*, *Corrections to Monsters in the CC* and the threads the "broken" conversions are in:

*Converting Greyhawk monsters*
*Creature Catalogue Overhaul Project Revisited*
*Converting True Dragons*
*Converting monsters from Dragon magazine*
*Converting Planescape monsters*
*Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings*
*Converting Oriental Adventures creatures*
*Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters*
*Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk*
*Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase*
*Converting Epic Level Creatures*
*Converting First Edition Monsters*

It'd be nice to move all the other main CC conversion threads over to the General Monster forum. Offhand I could find:

*Converting Spelljammer creatures*
*Monster ENCyclopedia Index*
*Converting monsters from Mayfair Games Role Aids product line*
*Mayfair Games Role Aids Monster Index*
*Converting Psionic Creatures*
*Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums*
*Converting Al-Qadim creatures*
*Converting Forgotten Realms monsters*
*Converting "Real World" Animals and Vermin*
*Paging Echohawk...*
*Special Conversion Thread: Finishing off the oozes*
*10 more creatures added to the CC*
*Converting prehistoric creatures*
*Converting Monsters from Polyhedron Magazine*
*Special Conversion Thread:  Microscopic Monsters*
*Send In The Clowns… (or, Converting the Oddballs)*
*Converting "generic setting" Second Edition monsters*
*Special Conversion Thread: Plants*
*Converting Monsters from Dungeon Magazine*

There are others, but we haven't used any of them since 2012 so moving them back doesn't seem that urgent.

Anyhow I have to sign out now. I have things to do.


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## Morrus

freyar said:


> The General Monster Talk forum (other than the sticky threads) has 18 pages of threads with I think 100 threads per page.  However, very few of these have been posted in during the last year or even few years.  Based on the google cache, there are about 14 threads that have posts since May (Cleon may know of one or two more).  The thread titles and thread numbers of these are as follows:
> 
> 
> Corrections to Monsters in the CC, thread 331722
> Converting monsters from Dragon magazine, thread 290367
> Unconverted Ravenloft creatures, thread 161776
> Converting Planescape monsters, thread 248731
> Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings, thread 296304
> Converting Oriental Adventures creatures, thread 268435
> Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters, thread 299943
> Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk, thread 299942
> Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase, thread 335543
> Converting First Edition Monsters, thread 294035
> Converting Epic Level Creatures, thread 298543




Those 14 we can find easily enough then. 1800 threads, searched for individually, will take.... longer.

I'll dig those 14 up and move them in the morning. I'm off to bed now!  It's been a loooooong day!


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## Cleon

freyar said:


> The General Monster Talk forum (other than the sticky threads) has 18 pages of threads with I think 100 threads per page.  However, very few of these have been posted in during the last year or even few years.  Based on the google cache, there are about 14 threads that have posts since May (Cleon may know of one or two more).




Oh hi freyar!

We need to talk!


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## freyar

Cleon said:


> Oh hi freyar!
> 
> We need to talk!




Seems like you were a bit more patient searching through the google cache than I was...


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## Ancalagon

I've been able to find key information (starting notes, character sheets) for one of the threads, it seems that a resurrection may be possible.  Thanks for the tip!!


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## Cleon

freyar said:


> Seems like you were a bit more patient searching through the google cache than I was...




Well "patient" sounds better than "bordering on obsessive".

I checked through the the caches for page 1 and 2 of the General Monster Talk homebrew. They didn't seem to have page 3 cached, and the page 2 cache was significantly older than the page 1 one so there was some overlap in the threads.


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## Morrus

Cleon said:


> I'd like to discuss it with Freyar but I guess that to start out we only need *Creatures Awaiting Upload & Current Conversions*, *Corrections to Monsters in the CC* and the threads the "broken" conversions are in:
> 
> *Converting Greyhawk monsters*
> *Creature Catalogue Overhaul Project Revisited*
> *Converting True Dragons*
> *Converting monsters from Dragon magazine*
> *Converting Planescape monsters*
> *Converting Creatures from Other Campaign Settings*
> *Converting Oriental Adventures creatures*
> *Converting original D&D and Mystara monsters*
> *Special Conversion Thread: Lycanthropes and their ilk*
> *Converting monsters from Tales From The Infinite Staircase*
> *Converting Epic Level Creatures*
> *Converting First Edition Monsters*




OK, I've moved this first batch.


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## Cleon

Morrus said:


> OK, I've moved this first batch.




Thank you very much Morrus, I've just noticed that.

We seem to have a lot more locked threads stuck between the stickied threads at the top of the forum and the working threads you've moved over. Could you unlock unsticky them so they're out of the way?

I'm also thinking it would also be nice to sticky the *Creatures Awaiting Upload & Current Conversions* thread and the Corrections to Monsters in the CC                 thread to the top of the page so they never disappear out of sight like they have done on rare occasions in the past.

EDIT: Dang it, what was I thinking. The locked threads are fine staying locked, it's the fact they're stuck between the top-stuck threads and the "working" threads that is the problem.

That said, it would be nice if Freyar and I could actually edit or post in some of the locked threads such as Creature Catalog new 3.5 conversions. /EDIT


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## Morrus

Is there not a mod of that forum who can deal with stickies and the like?


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## Cleon

Morrus said:


> Is there not a mod of that forum who can deal with stickies and the like?




That's an idea! (Which I should really have though of before bothering you.)

I'll liaise with Freyar about PMing one of the moderators listed for the forum.


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## CritNerd

How far back was the good backup from the database outage?


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## Cleon

CritNerd said:


> How far back was the good backup from the database outage?




It appears to be from sometime in early May. The most recent recovered post in the forums I've checked is May 6th.


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## macamboy

Yeah, looks like May for the last decent backup. 

The Starwars campaign I was running in communities appears to have lost all updates since the beginning of May. Wished I'd kept better notes!


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## Cleon

macamboy said:


> Yeah, looks like May for the last decent backup.
> 
> The Starwars campaign I was running in communities appears to have lost all updates since the beginning of May. Wished I'd kept better notes!




Yes, fortunately I saved the Creature Catalog conversions as soon as we finish them over in General Monster Talk so the CC hasn't lost that much.

I'm thinking I'd better start saving the working drafts & discussion threads while we are in the process of converting them, since there were a couple of conversions we've lost a lot of work on that we were _just_ about to finish.


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## Leif

I found Trogdor's game's RG, but I didn't find it on my Current Subscriptions list.  So just in case this is not just my problem, here's the URL:

http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?489091-Monster-Hunters-Rogue-s-Gallery

Unfortunately, my Paladin is no longer present, and I can't find the char gen guidelines.

NEVER MIND:  Just found out that Trogdor made this thread over after the crash.


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## MoonSong

Will this trick work if I use Firefox and my default searcher isn't google?(I'm a paranoic sorry u_u)


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## Nagol

MoonSong said:


> Will this trick work if I use Firefox and my default searcher isn't google?(I'm a paranoic sorry u_u)




I can't comment on the Firefox part of the question.

The site:enworld.org search will work inside google regardless of what you normally use the search.  It is based upon google's spiders combing the web for content rather than your bowser's cache.  I know duckduckgo.com's search also supports the site: syntax if you want to run the search there.  I do not know if that site offers a cached view though.


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## Cleon

Nagol said:


> I can't comment on the Firefox part of the question.
> 
> The site:enworld.org search will work inside google regardless of what you normally use the search.  It is based upon google's spiders combing the web for content rather than your bowser's cache.  I know duckduckgo.com's search also supports the site: syntax if you want to run the search there.  I do not know if that site offers a cached view though.




Duckduckgo doesn't have cached views.

I've only found them on Google, and they've already updated some of them so they show versions of Enworld.org after the Great Database Hiccup.


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## TBeholder

This one is lost - there are outside links to it, but it's not in Google cache or web.archive.org:
http://www.enworld.org/forum/conten...o-Brings-Alternity-Out-Of-Stasis#.V5pS9WgrJaQ


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