URGENT: Restore not working

Hi @koastalkollective,

Thanks for reaching out!

A 403 error usually means the server is blocking something either due to security rules or possibly something got messed up during restore, like the .htaccess file.

Quick questions to understand better:

• Did you restore on the same server/domain, or a different one?
• Were you able to wait until the restore was fully finished, or was the site accessed mid-way?

If you can, please check via FTP or hosting panel are all files and folders in place or not?

If yes, try renaming .htaccess temporarily and then reload the site. That often helps clear 403 issues if they’re caused by rules in that file.

Also, if you have access to a staging site, it might be worth testing the same backup there just to see if the issue is environment-specific.

Let me know what you find and I’ll help you sort it from there.

Best regards,

Hi @koastalkollective,

Thanks for the update.

It looks like the database may not have been restored properly, especially since the site is redirecting to /wp-admin/install.php, which usually means WordPress can’t find the necessary database tables. This might have happened due to a server-side restriction or something interfering during the restore process.

I’d suggest trying a clean slate restore on the server; delete all existing files and the database first, then run the restore again from the backup file.

Since you already have the backup, you can also manually restore it by following this guide: https://backwpup.com/docs/how-to-restore-a-wordpress-backup/#Manually_restore_a_WordPress_Backup

Let me know how it goes.

Best regards,