The Usul forums are still down.

[admiralxgmx]

Does anyone know why the official Usul forums are still down?  It's been a few months since they first went down, and I don't know why.

[SandChigger]

I didn't even know they had a forum over there. Oh well.

Anyway, has it been giving this same error for the "few months" it's been down?

Microsoft JET Database Engine error '80004005'

Could not find file 'f:wwwrootusuldatausulnet_forum.mdb'.

/forum/inc_header.asp, line 114

That means the boardware is trying to find a file (usulnet_forum.mdb) it needs to include (the "inc_" is a giveaway here) to execute properly, but it's not finding it.

Files don't just disappear from servers, so someone either deleted it or changed the filename. Sounds like maybe it was cracked. I don't know much about Microsoft programs, but the .mdb file extension and "Database Engine error" makes me wonder if the database hasn't been compromised as well.

The fact it hasn't been fixed in months means the webmaster/site owner may be awol and doesn't care anymore (when was the last time anything else on the site was updated?) or doesn't know how to fix the problem.

If you know who the webmaster/owner is, you might try emailing them.... FWIW. :)

(Was it a very active forum?)

[admiralxgmx]

It was/is a very active forum, it's been giving that same message since late 2008.

[SandChigger]

"is" is inappropriate if it's been down for over three months.

There's some valuable Dune material on that site. If the owner has fooked off, I guess it's time to let the spiders out and crawl it for safe-keeping....

[admiralxgmx]

"is" is inappropriate if it's been down for over three months.

There's some valuable Dune material on that site. If the owner has fooked off, I guess it's time to let the spiders out and crawl it for safe-keeping....

Once the admin realizes that it is down, he will fix it.

[SandChigger]

If it's been down for months, time to get a new admin. No?

[admiralxgmx]

If it's been down for months, time to get a new admin. No?

I know several sites in which the owner/founder/admin/webmaster still pay for the domain, but they never go on their own website, they just pay for it (or if it's free, just do nothing with it).

[SandChigger]

Right. Like an absentee landlord in the real world. They fook off and leave the site to fend for itself. Or let someone totally clueless or on some kind of power trip take control.

I don't know who the owner of Usul.net is or what their particular story is, but if they don't drop by their own site regularly or appoint someone responsible and/or make it possible for people to contact them when something goes wrong, THEN THEY DON'T REALLY GIVE A SH*T ABOUT THE SITE OR PEOPLE WHO USE IT. Period.

If you know who the owner or admin is, have you tried contacting them?

[admiralxgmx]

Right. Like an absentee landlord in the real world. They fook off and leave the site to fend for itself. Or let someone totally clueless or on some kind of power trip take control.

I don't know who the owner of Usul.net is or what their particular story is, but if they don't drop by their own site regularly or appoint someone responsible and/or make it possible for people to contact them when something goes wrong, THEN THEY DON'T REALLY GIVE A SH*T ABOUT THE SITE OR PEOPLE WHO USE IT. Period.

If you know who the owner or admin is, have you tried contacting them?

I tried leaving a message on his guestbook, but he has "guestbook post validation" on, where he has to personally validate each post before others see it.  Which may be difficult if he never goes on his site.

[admiralxgmx]

Well I shouldn't say never, he used to go on the forums a lot back in 2007.

[SandChigger]

Um ... that's over a year ago.

I just tried using the contact form to send him an email; seems to have gone through. (According to the thank you page, his name is Stephen.)

He might be more likely to get/read a mail message than one on the guestbook.

(The server says most of the site resources

[admiralxgmx]

Well he still pays for it, I mean if he gets a bill about his website in the mail, I think he will remember it and be like "oh yeah, I forgot", and then go on.

[SandChigger]

Maybe he does like I do and pays for a whole year to get a discount. In that case he wouldn't see a bill or notice in his email for well over half a year.

I have another site that appears monthly on my credit card, but I don't pay much attention to it other than to note it's there and that the amount charged hasn't suddenly bloomed into something extreme.

The fact that HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT THE FORUMS FOR MONTHS, again, tells me he's not that bothered.

He also has not replied to my email.

You can keep objecting to what I'm trying to tell you if you like, but I suspect that Usul/Stephen has fooked off for the foreseeable future.

[SandChigger]

Sorry for bumping a thread that will be a year untouched in just a few days, but I was wondering if anyone has heard from "Usul" or knows anything about him?

The forums on his site are still down, and now the contact form throws an error as well.

Anybody, anything?

(I'm grabbing a copy of everything on his site for possible rehosting if (when?) his site eventually goes down.)

[Dunenewt]

As some of the information on the site was provided by TMA, he might be your best bet, he's registered on these forums, and pops by now and again.

[SandChigger]

OK, thanks/cheers! :)