I'm hoping someone out there reading this is able to help me.
I have been able to recover /etc/mysql from the old server (it ran mysql 5.7 most likely), but I am unable to make the new server read it.
Since I can't boot the old server, I can't run any sort of proper SQL backups on it.
MySQL will not start with the old database. image 1, image 2
It contains the real database containing posts and everything else in the database (confirmed by viewing with a text editor), but it is missing what mysql calls a "data dir" from /var/lib/mysql.
It is extremely unlikely I will ever be able to recover /var/lib/mysql. It is on this drive: (image of mushkin brand SSD claiming to be 32 or 33 KB in size)

Please talk to me in the Tribes RPG server if you have ideas.