WordPress.org

1. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   Hi. I have been trying to completely re-install my WordPress blog, after encountering the message:

   "There doesn't seem to be a wp-config.php file. I need this before we can get started. Need more help? We got it. You can create a wp-config.php file through a web interface, but this doesn't work for all server setups. The safest way is to manually create the file."

   This occurred after I had just upgraded to 2.6.1, and then I noticed that my blog was hacked by spammers in the posts (hidden in the posts). I deleted all the spam, and changed my password. I noticed that there were two wp-config.php files there - I don't know how that could be, but I deleted the one that had just the generic "placeholder" details and left the genuine one.

   A while after that - not right away, but the next day (probably because I had logged out overnight), I got the above error message when trying to log on. So I looked, and the wp-config.php file was indeed still there! The message seemed to be wrong. I tried overwriting it a couple of times with no joy, then completely re-installed WordPress, even deleting the database and uploading the backup I had made a day ago.

   When following the detailed upgrade instructions, I came to:

   "Step 9: Run the WordPress upgrade program.

   Using a web browser, go to the WordPress admin pages at the normal /wp-admin location."

   When I do this, of course I can't log on, and come up against the very same message denying me access to the admin for the site. I can neither view the site itself nor log on to admin.

   Can anyone help? I've looked through 10 or 20 posts asking for help for the same thing, and either no one answers them, or else the person asking for help, after a couple of messages says "thanks, the problem is solved" - without bothering to say how it was solved, so that other people could benefit!

   Please help if you can. I liked the WordPress blog, and am frustrated to lose it. Would it be possible to just delete the whole thing - every single file including the database, and start from absolute scratch?

   This would be very time consuming. I have a backup, but of course it didn't work.

   This username I'm asking from is not the one I need help with. I can't sign in with that one, as the sign-in is only accessible from my website itself, and I am denied access there. The sign in from my website is "admin". That blog is located at: http://www.billkath.co.nz/WordPress - so I am using this username to ask for help. Sorry about that.

   Thanks very much for reading this, and if you can help me, I would really appreciate it.

   Cheers,
   Kath

2. mercime
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   1) what WP version were you using before you upgraded to 2.6.1?
   2) Did you check the wp-config.php you left in server whether information is correct, or had it been hacked/changed?
   3) Did you back up your database before you upgraded? If not, can you back up your database now?
   4) Have you tried to go into database and try to change your password first?
   5) If you have changed your password in database and still cannot access login, delete installation and database. Download the WP version that worked before you upgraded from here, and upload to server, then import the SQL backup (with old password) and see if you could log in.
   Good luck.

3. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   Mercime, thanks for your reply.

   1. WP 2.0 something. It's what my webhost provided at the Plesk desk, and I didn't realise until a few days ago that it was so outdated.

   2. Yes, and the information was correct last night, and is still correct now. I changed the password in there now and uploaded the file again, to match the password I have just changed in the database (no. 4.)

   3. Yes, I did that before the upgrade, and again today after I had trouble, so I have two different backups. Today's is the one I tried to restore.

   4. Yes, did that, and changed it in the wp-admin.php file and uploaded that again. Still get the same error message.

   Now I will have to do number 5. I'll report back on whether this works. Thank you for taking the time to advise.

   Cheers,
   Kath.

4. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   One other thing I just remembered. The other day I was changing my theme, and I had trouble viewing parts of the page. After a search I found that I had to replace the word "cat" with "category" in one of the files (or maybe vice versa) because either the WP version was too old or the Theme needed updating. Sorry, I didn't keep a note of what the error was, as it was able to be fixed.

   I don't think this was a problem, and the Theme worked fine after that edit.

   Cheers,
   Kath.

5. artfulalibi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   Where did you get your new theme, and what is it called? Some people have compromised their own blogs, through downloading and installing themes.

6. mercime
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   Yes, there were major changes in different tags and database structure since 2.0something :-)
   What I would recommend after you get your WP install running with old version with old database is
   1) to upgrade by major version 2.0+ to WP 2.1 to WP 2.2 (WP release archives here). Follow upgrading instructions in Codex.
   2) At WP 2.2, go to Admin and Manage Export XML and save to computer. Back up SQL from database as well - always :)
   - XML file will be used to facilitate jump to 2.6.1 installation - less or no issues with XML import than SQL import, proven ;-)
   3) Delete old installation/upgrade and drop (delete) all WordPress tables in your database.
   4) Upload WP 2.6.1 in server with wp-config.php and run install.php.
   5) Log into Admin and Manage > Import WordPress XML. Depending in size of XML, it may take you only one or couple of times to click on import to get all blogs in.
   Cheers.

7. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   artfulalibi - it was Techland, by Sadish. I think I got it from Themeland. I customised it heavily, though, changing the header, all the colours, background file and typefaces. It was all correct, though, and passed validation at the WC3 validation site. I had just installed the Akismet plugin, and an Avatar plugin, and everything seemed really sweet until I deleted the extra wp-config.php file :o(

   mercime - thank you, I will do all that, and it will take me quite a while, but I'll report back eventually with the results.

   Thanks, guys :o)

   Cheers,
   Kath.

8. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   artfulalibi - it was Techland, by Sadish. I think I got it from Themeland. I customised it heavily, though, changing the header, all the colours, background file and typefaces. It was all correct, though, and passed validation at the WC3 validation site. I had just installed the Akismet plugin, and an Avatar plugin, and everything seemed really sweet until I deleted the extra wp-config.php file :o(

   mercime - thank you, I will do all that, and it will take me quite a while, but I'll report back eventually with the results.

   Thanks, guys :o)

   Cheers,
   Kath.

9. koolkatkiwi
   Member
   Posted 1 year ago #

   Hi. I have done all the things Mercime said, and now my site is working fine - thank you!

   Also, for anyone else with the same problem, be aware that your Wordpress folder is now "wordpress" where it used to be "WordPress". This caused me some headscratching when the link on my main website wasn't working. Then I changed it to lower case and it worked again.

   I was able to put my theme back on, and now the only thing not working is that I can't add a photo or an avatar to any post (avatar plug-in that worked before).

   I noticed that the place where photos are stored in version 2.6.1 has changed from:
   /httpdocs/wordpress/wp-content
   in version 2.0.3 to:
   /httpdocs/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/09
   in the latest version - 2.6.1.

   This appears to be causing a problem - I don't know why, but I will start another thread with that problem, or else read the other support posts, as it appears many people are having trouble getting their images on their posts.

   Thanks again.

   Cheers,
   Kath.

10. koolkatkiwi
    Member
    Posted 1 year ago #

    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand . . . the photo not showing up in the post problem has also been solved, thanks to some helpful members and administrators. Here is the link to (hopefully) solve this problem for you:
    http://wordpress.org/support/topic/164999?replies=1

    Cheers,
    Kath.

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