"Current" database "gone" with GoDaddy

This is more of an informative notice to folks who host with GoDaddy and are considering to move away from them. I experienced something really weird that they cannot explain, but warrants posting as an FYI.

On Nov 1, 2015, I migrated my domain to InMotion. On Oct 30, 2015, I downloaded a “current copy” of my WordPress files and database files from GoDaddy. I transferred my domain/URL to InMotion from 10/31 to 11/01 (domain transfer was fast).

I uploaded my files and database to InMotion, and then I noticed that the 4-5 dozen web pages I added to my website throughout October weren’t showing up on my website. My website looked like it did way back in early September.

I still had access to my WordPress files and database with GoDaddy, so I restored my files and database to Oct 28, and download the files and database again. I uploaded everything again to InMotion, but nothing changed… the website looked the same.

I tried several more restore points and then I noticed, all of the GoDaddy restore points for October were the same. I restored to 10/20, then to 10/13, then to 10/6, and nothing changes.

It was as if all of the work I did throughout October didn’t even happen!

GoDaddy support was great, but they stopped just short of saying that “maybe I didn’t do all this work to my website?” They said that the database and files they have on backup, all 30 days, are “current.”

I asked if I needed to replace the “information_schema” file, and both GoDaddy and InMotion said “that file doesn’t really affect anything.”

So this post is really just a word to the wise… I don’t know how this happened, but the backup restore points, files, and databases that GoDaddy said I could download as my “current files” were in fact, very outdated.