Try this: (Monks, please tell me if I am wrong assuming this would work) UnTested...

use vars qw/$reg_u_tbl $dbh $sth $rows $_autoField $_referField /;
$reg_u_tbl = "registered_users";
$_referField = "referrer_id";
$_autoField = "MemberId";
$_rankField = "ranked1";

$sth = $dbh->prepare("select * from `$reg_u_tbl` where ##RequirementsH
+ere##");
$sth->execute;
while($rows = $sth->fetchrow_hashref()) {
  my $thisMembersid = $rows->{$_autoField};
  my $referrersid = $rows->{$_referField};
  my $rankName = $rows->{$_rankField};
  my $startinglevel = 0;
  &buildTradRank ($thisMembersid,$referrersid,$rankName,$startinglevel
+);
}
$sth->finish();

sub buildTradRank {
    ($_rankedid,$_startingid,$_rank,$_level) = @_;
    my $_fieldName = $_rank . '_traditional';
    $_level++;
    $_countLevels++;
    $_highLevel = $_level if $_level > $_highLevel;
    
    if($_level == 1) {
        my $_addToSearch = "";
    } else {
        my $_addToSearch = qq~ and `$_rank` = "0"~;
    }
    $sth2 = $dbh->prepare(qq{select * from `$reg_u_tbl` where `$_refer
+Field` = ?$_addToSearch});
    $sth2->execute($_startingid);
    while(my $_nregu = $sth2->fetchrow_hashref()) {
        if(!$_nregu->{$_fieldName} || ($_nregu->{$_fieldName} && $_nre
+gu->{$_fieldName} != $_rankedid)) {
            my $_updated = $dbh->do(qq{update `$reg_u_tbl` set `$_fiel
+dName` = ? where `$_autoField` = ?}, undef, $_rankedid, $_nregu->{$_a
+utoField});
            if($_updated) {
                $_countAllNewlyAdded++;
            } else {
                $_countAllNewlyAddedFailures++;
                $_dbi_errors .= $DBI::errstr . "\n" if $DBI::errstr;
            }
        }
        if(!$_nregu->{$_rank}) {
            my $_countReferred = $dbh->selectrow_array(qq{select count
+(*) from `$reg_u_tbl` where `$_referField` = ? and `$_rank` = "0"}, u
+ndef, $_nregu->{MemberId});
            if(!$_countReferred) {
                next;
            }
            # Send back to this routine when it returns it should cont
+inue with the current data, starting it over SHOULD fork a new routin
+e...
            &buildTradRank($_rankedid,$_nregu->{$_autoField},$_rank,$_
+level);
        }
        next;
    }
  return 1;#Return when finished...
}
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By creating one subroutine, you should be able to call it in the middle of it, which should start a new process, with new data and when it returns, then it should continue where it left off... You had it just about right, I only seen an error in your subroutine, you did not add the call to catch the data you passed to the subroutine...

Monks, am I correct in this?

Lee