install.php: a dummy question

OK, i am not the smartest, but I have done a bunch of searches on here and i'm still none the wiser. which is simply because even the explanations go over my head!

I had a 2.2 guestbook which was an easy install option from the cpanel of my webhost. It was hacked several times recently, and the hack message said that i needed to upgrade to the new version!

and that led me here. I downloaded the new 2.3.1 version and uploaded that over the old one, and downloaded the NEW install.php file and uploaded that...
My problem is that when I get to install.php i dont know where to get the info to plug into the appropriate fields. I realise that must be the dumbest question for most of you guys, but because the 2.2 was automatically installed on my site I never went through that process before.. Any help would be appreciated

Would you happen to have a copy of your old config.php file still. If not you need to fill in the blanks for your new config file. Below is also what you will need to add into the install.php page when you bring it up.

$GB_DB["dbName"] = "database name here";
$GB_DB["host"] = "localhost";
$GB_DB["user"] = "database username here";
$GB_DB["pass"] = "database password here";

JTD thanks so much for responding! when I plug in the info from the config file into the install.php form I get this error:

MySQL Error : Database Error
Error Number: 1060 Duplicate column name 'thumbnail'

when my site was hacked, my password got changed, so thought that may have been part of the problem. I installed the password change script... do you think that i should just start from scratch? If I DO start from scratch then where do I set (or get) the password info? is that in cpanel?

Well, I just did start from scratch and still got errors. I must be doing something majorly wrong but I cant tell what it is... any suggestions?

Ok you dont use the password that got you into your guestbook. You use the password that and login name that gets you into your cpanel that your host gave you. I take it you are just going to over right the old database. If not then you will need to create a new one and enter the name of it in the correct place.

Ok wit help from support of my host i now have a 2.3.1 version installed. However, I have not been able to get the old DATABASE entries to import at all. My host says I should be able to run a SQL query to import them but because the tables are already there, it won't do this.

can someone tell me if there is something I'm doing wrong here? is there a simple way to plug in the data from the old sql file? or if not can I paste the old entries into the new tables by hand somehow?
thanks in advance!

These threads may help:

(Make a backup .sql file of guestbook entries)

Export/Import MySQL Database:
http://proxy2.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3580&highlight=sql

Guestbook MySQL database transfer:
http://proxy2.de/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5819&highlight=#5819

Where is the guestbook database?:
http://proxy2.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2761&highlight=sql

Go into phpMyAdmin and Drop the table book_data and then try importing it from your backup.