It really looks like permission settings are causing the problem. another example is if I select active topics I get a error"Database error only visible to forum administrators"

Of course that permission issue could be caused by a corrupted table.
Not sure if you want to start over with a upgrade but If you are sure all of your permissions are set correctly then the best bet is to open a support ticket.


Blue Man Group
There is no such thing as stupid questions. Just stupid answers