WordPress.org

1. Gymshoes
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   I upgraded to 2.5.1 a week ago. I've been running WP for several years and upgrades are usually a snap, but after the upgrade this time I got a blank dashboard! Everything appears to be working fine, but the wp-admin/index page is blank.

   Because I know the URLs for some admin areas I was able to access them by typing it in---everything works except: wp-admin/index.php and wp-admin/import.php

   I deactivated my plugins before the upgrade. I did everything I was supposed to. I'm an old hand at upgrading; I've been running wordpress on this server for ages. I tried reuploading the files from a fresh download of the zip file and for one brief moment I got the Dashboard page, then I clicked away and it disappeared when I tried to access it again. :-( I have redone the upgrade several times now and I'm still not getting the admin/index page. :-(

   The dashboard has showed up spontaneously twice and disappeared as soon as I clicked away. Counting all the attempts I've made I'd say I can access wp-admin/index.php about 2% of the time. :-(

   I have also tried the upgrade with the default theme, with the old config file, with no plugins in the directory, I've tried resetting the permissions, I've deleted, reuploaded and upgraded more times than I can count. I'm NOT going to hack the code as suggested in this post: http://wordpress.org/support/topic/172650. I want an official fix. (I've got another site with WP and I'm not upgrading it until this bug is fixed.)

   I do NOT want to rollback to the previous version: I LOVE wordpress and want to continue to upgrade.

   There have been numerous post on this problem and no fixes. Is wordpress working on a fix?

2. TomHusband
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   Hi Gymshoes,

   Did you ever get this fixed? I'm having the same issue now (see this thread). After losing posts that should show on Manage Posts I tried a re-upload and now get a blank page too. My website is still there but I can't access the dashboard.

   Really frustrating. Anyway I hope you got it fixed.

   Tom

3. Gymshoes
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   No, I've still got a blank dashboard. :-( Like you, I tried reinstalling, uploading fresh files, default theme,etc. I still cannot access the admin/index area. Also, the problem is getting worse, even though I've done nothing to it since the upgrade a couple of weeks ago. I used to be able to access all the other pages within admin except index and import by typing in the correct URL for one area and surfing around the dash from there. Now I can't access Manage, Widgets, Theme Editor, or Users. All those links within the admin area give me blank pages.

   I've been running WP for years and years on this server, upgrading all the time. I'm not running any weird plugins, only akismet and stats (which were disabled anyway). If wordpress can't/won't fix this, I'm in real trouble because this is the best platform out there and I've got it on multiple blogs. :-(

   This has been posted about in *many* threads. Why aren't any wordpress people addressing this issue? I just wish someone would tell me they are working on a fix. :-(

   Gymshoes

4. Samuel Wood (Otto)
   Tech Ninja
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   Gymshoes: There's no fix because this is not a bug in WordPress. We can't fix a problem with your system, only you can do that.

5. Gymshoes
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   I've been running WordPress on this same server for several years now, practically since the beginning of WordPress. I've never had this problem --or any problem-- with upgrading. Since my system hasn't changed---and wordpress has, it stands to reason that the problem is in the upgrade. Also, since quite a few people are experiencing the same problem, it's not some rare bizarre quirk of my system; it's affecting other people too. My server is up-to-date and meets all wordpress requirements. WordPress has been running on it and I've been doing upgrades for years with no problem.

   As a faithful WP user of long-standing I find it disturbing that you're just blowing me off---as well as all those other users with the same problem. Everything I do is within WordPress. Do you really want to drive your most faithful and fanatic users away---and alienate new users---because you won't even look into this problem??

6. whooami
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   wheres the blog? here?

   http://gymshoesmusic.com/home/

   this the one??

   as for your complaining to otto -- he's a moderator here -- what do you want him to do? He cant really blow you off anymore than I can.

7. Samuel Wood (Otto)
   Tech Ninja
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   I'm perfectly willing to look into your problem, if you would explain your problem and give me any information on it at all.

   Telling me "my wp-admin is blank" is a symptom. Not a problem. You need to actually do something to give me information to work with. Turn on PHP error reporting. Give me an error message. Disable your plugins. Reinstall your site.

   Do something and tell us the results. We can't assist in a vacuum.

   99% of the time, a blank page after an upgrade means you have a broken plugin or theme or something. The other 1% is usually user error. But in either case, there's nothing we can do to help you except to tell you that.

   It's not a bug, it's something specific to your site. I don't know why people always question me on this, but it's the truth nevertheless. Your logic of "I upgraded and then it broke so it must be a bug" is flawed. Your site broke because you changed it. I cannot be certain *how* you changed it. And quite frankly, I cannot trust you or take your word for it either, because I do not know you or your skill level at this sort of thing.

   I'll give you an example. Search a few months ago for people who complained about blinking Save/Publish buttons after the 2.5.1 upgrade. The cause of this: They failed to upload all the 2.5.1 files to the site. But did people believe it when you told them that? No, it must be a bug, they couldn't possibly make a mistake! :rolleyes:

   A bug like that would never make it out the door. Sorry, but them's the facts. Saying how loyal you are doesn't change the reality or the matter, which is that you are human and flawed like the rest of us and could have messed up somewhere.

8. Gymshoes
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   To answer the question as to which blog it is, no it's not that one; that's my main blog and I'm afraid to upgrade it until this problem is sorted out.

   As for saying I should do something and post the results. I already HAVE. Repeatedly. I've repeated myself in this thread and others. (sigh) I have done everything I can possibly think of to make this upgrade work.

   I did the upgrade as per the detailed instructions (as always). I ran upgrade. Everything appeared to be fine until I clicked through to the admin. I got a blank page. I was able to access most other pages by typing in the URL, but the admin index came up blank *most* of the time. It did appear briefly *twice*. I reuploaded the files, thinking something might have been corrupted. I ran upgrade again. Problem persisted. I downloaded a fresh zip file, uploaded files, ran upgrade again. I did this several times. The dashboard appeared once during this time, but disappeared when I clicked away (eg I couldn't get back to it). Since wp config has been changed in the new version I tried fresh installs with the new config (with my login data) and also with the old wp config. Neither solved the problem. I also did the upgrade again with no plugins in the plugin directory. As I've stated: The only plugins I have are akismet and stats and they were deactivated before the upgrade. I also did the upgrade with the default theme. This also did not solve the problem. I get no error messages. I simply get blank pages for various areas of the dashboard.

   As for the assertion that my site broke because I changed it: the only change I made was to upgrade wordpress. That's it. I have upgraded WP through so many versions that I really don't think this is user error. When I upgrade I always use the detailed instructions and I have them open in a window so that I make sure that I follow them step by step. I *know* I'm human and can screw up--which is why I'm VERY careful when I do upgrades.

   The problem isn't just specific to my site. If you troll through the posts here you'll see that it's happening to lots of sites, sometimes for an upgrade and sometimes a new install. I'd like to know if all these reports are being compiled and passed on to developers to see if someone can find out why this is happening.

   I have reuploaded, reupgraded, plugins are always disabled when I do and I've tried doing the upgrade with the default theme. I've downloaded fresh files. If you can tell me step-by-step what to do to fix this, I'll do it. I've already tried all the obvious things you mentioned ---as I've said in previous posts. I need to know what to do now that all the obvious things have been done-to-death and don't help.

   Thanks,

   Gymshoes

9. TomHusband
   Member
   Posted 4 years ago #
   

   I have a very similar problem to Gymshoes. See this thread. I'm seeing some errors in the PHP log but am not expert enough understand them (the errors are shown in the thread).

   Thanks,

   Tom

10. Samuel Wood (Otto)
    Tech Ninja
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    The problem isn't just specific to my site. If you troll through the posts here you'll see that it's happening to lots of sites, sometimes for an upgrade and sometimes a new install. I'd like to know if all these reports are being compiled and passed on to developers to see if someone can find out why this is happening.

    I'm sorry, but again, the problem *is* specific to your site... Let me try to explain this..

    When you have a "blank screen" error, then what it means is very simple:
    1. Your site running the PHP code encountered a fatal error somewhere, and
    2. You don't have display_errors turned on, so you can't see where the error happened.

    The usual cause of this is missing files from the installation. There can be other causes (incomplete upgrade, bad plugins, etc), but that's the most common cause.

    Saying that other people get a blank screen too does not mean that you have the same problem as them. It just means that they messed up as well.

    Compiling these reports and passing them along would do nothing, because your problem is in your installation, somewhere. It's just that simple. I don't really know how I can explain this in a non-technical way, but somewhere, something is wrong on your site.

    If you continue to think that it's something in the code as opposed to something on the site itself, then the problem will never get fixed. I realize that you want the problem fixed, but telling those of us who do know what we're talking about that we're wrong really won't accomplish anything.

    When I tell you that the problem is on your site and not in the code, then I have a basis for that assertion. Just because I don't explain the basis to you does not mean that there is not one.

    If you really want, email me your WP login info and your FTP login info for the site. I'll take a look at it and see if I can make it work for you.

    otto@ottodestruct.com

11. Gymshoes
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    Ah, I see your point about the blank pages: there are a wide range of problems which could generate a blank page---it's not an error specific to one particular type of thing. Which of course makes it more difficult to diagnose. :-( I have sent you the info requested. I really appreciate you taking a look at this. I've run out of ideas on how to fix it and have no idea what's causing it. Any light you can shed on the situation will be very much appreciated. :-) Thanks, again.

    Gymshoes

12. Gymshoes
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    Well, Otto checked it out and unfortunately it's not user error. My server is flaking out when it runs the code for the upgraded WP. BTW, with error reporting turned on it's not actually generating any errors. The server just isn't running the new version. My next step is to sic my webhost's techies on it and see if they can sort it out. I'm also going to see if they can upgrade my PHP to 5 instead of 4.3.

    If/when I get things running smoothly again---and get some kind of idea what the problem was from the techies---I'll post an update in this thread in case the explanation/solution (whatever it turns out to be) can help anyone else.

    Thanks again to Otto who was very nice, gracious, and helpful despite my whining and sniping in this thread. My apologies and thanks.

    Gymshoes

13. krpstx
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    Hi -- I may have a problem similar to Gymshoes -- mea cupa, I humbly accept it is I who's screwed up somehow, an inept air breather et al etc. Altho, I believe Gymshoes was doing an upgrade, etc.

    I have tried to install a fresh new copy of wp v2.5.2 -- all seems to go well during the install -- but when i finally try to open up the dashboard page i just get a blank page...??

    I've installed/de-installed/re-installed three times -- and get the same symptom each time. Install site is at http://www.ivetters.com/blog -- so, any one got any other useful advice?

    Thanks in advance --
    krpstx
    Jun 25

14. krpstx
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    Just realized I added my comments to a thread relating to an upgrade problem -- if I need to re-insert this post in some other more pertinent thread someone please tell me --
    thks,
    krpstx
    Jun 25

15. Gymshoes
    Member
    Posted 4 years ago #
    

    Early yesterday evening the problem was resolved by my webhost's techies. Here's what he said, "The WordPress script tries to handle error reporting itself, but apparently only does a so-so job. It turned out that you were hitting a memory limit in PHP. I have increased this for [your domains] in order to correct for the problem -- give it a try now."

    Everything worked, everything is accessible. First thing this morning I did the upgrade on my main site and it's in good shape too.

    For those people who also have blank dashboards I'd say: IF you've had no previous problems running wordpress or upgrading, IF you're not getting any actual error messages, IF you've tried the obvious things like redownloading the zip file, reuploading, reupgrading, using only the default theme, plugins *always* deactivated during upgrade, etc....and you still get a blank dashboard with no error messages, ask your webhosts techies to increase the memory limit for PHP on your domain. WP2.5.1 hit the PHP memory limit on my server---and previous versions did not.

    This topic is now resolved. :-)

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