Can you replicate the problem using the default Twenty Fourteen theme with all plugins deactivated?
How will that help me understand the problem. I am using the suffusion theme.
The first thing we do is use what we know works. Themes and plugins can and often do cause issues. That is why we ask to test your WP install at default first. If site runs OK then, we then ask to switch back to theme, then test each plugin one at a time to easily find the culprit. I suggest this will take you a few minutes tonight and help very much.
How will that help me understand the problem.
Because all plugins and themes cannot be rigorously tested to determine compatibility, best coding practices, security, etc. Especially those that are not hosted on the WP repository.
Out of the thousands of possible plugins (and themes), it’s possible to pick one up every now and then that clashes with your current environment.
By reducing the installation to a “barebones” install.. which means using ONLY the default TwentyFourteen theme with ALL plugins deactivated.. we can see if the problem persists. If it does not… then it is most definitely a plugin or theme issue.
We would prefer not to waste our precious time “shooting in the dark” for a solution.. when it could very easily (and most likely) be a plugin or theme incompatibility.
The best way to help us help you is to do as esmi suggested above, and let us know your results.
Thanks to both of you for taking the time to help me with this.
Using IE, I tried to access my WP-Admin to deactivate my plugins and that also came up as a white screen.
Then I tried FireFox and both the website and the WP-Admin displayed perfectly.
Then, for interest, I tried with Chrome, and only the WP-Admin displayed.
Does that information maybe indicate a different course of attack?
I ask because doing what you have suggested sounds like really scary stuff. If I deactivate my plugins or change the theme, wont I lose the content that I placed into the website using the theme and those plugins? I have just spent 2 months putting data into tables using plugins and other content into special widget areas using a plugin?
Thanks again.
MJ
I ask because doing what you have suggested sounds like really scary stuff.
Yes… it is đ
1. Take regular backups of both your site files and your database.
2. By regular.. I have mine scheduled to run each day at midnight. Probably overkill for a non-savvy user.. but just giving you an idea.
3. I guarantee you, the time will come when you are going to have to do it. You might as well go ahead and get comfortable with the process now.
4. If your plugins/themes are from reputable sources.. then chances are you won’t lose anything. Regular WP developers are familiar with the activation/deactivation process.. and many build this into their themes and plugins.
5. Just speaking frankly here.. but it sounds like you still have not done as we suggested.. which is most likely why you are still seeing mixed results in your browsers.
There is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY for you to determine if the issue is coming from a plugin/theme… or from somewhere else.. until you do as suggested above.
Start with a few plugins at a time. Deactivate a group of 3 to 5.. clear your browser cache (and any site plugin cache) and try again. Chances are you can find an offending plugin using this method.. rather than turning everything off at once.
Please let us know your results. ESPECIALLY if you have a plugin or theme that loses anything during the process.
OK so before I start, let me confirm what I must do:
First I must go to the browser that lets me into my WP-Admin and make a backup. I am using Hostgator and the C-Panel has a backup tool. I have been doing that quite regularly anyway.
After that, I have 2 choices:
1) Change the theme to 2014 and deactivate all plugins and then check if the white screen is still there. If not, reinstall the Suffusion theme and check again. If the white screen has not reappeared, slowly reactivate the plugins one at a time while checking if the white screen reappears. When it does after installing a certain plugin, then I will know that that one is the offender. I should then deactivate it again and continue the process in case there are other faulty plugins. Finally I must find a replacement for the offending plugin and then reinstall my suffusion theme.
2)Without changing my theme, slowly deactivate the plugins starting with the most recent installs (I am almost 100% sure that I know which one is the offender)and see which deactivation results in the white screen going away and then replacing that plugin.
Is the above correct? If it is, I am obviously going to take the easier path 2
Is the above correct?
Thanks again for your support and time.
MJ
Please ignore: “First I must go to the browser that lets me into my WP-Admin and make a backup.” That makes no sense. I just go straight to my C-Panel and do the back up.
Further to my above 2 posts:
I have made the back up without any problem.
Then I deactivated the last plugin that I installed.
I then put my home page url http://www.LivingGreenReviews.com into FireFox and IE and it showed perfectly on both.
The I tried Chrome and the white screen persists when I enter my home page URL only. When I enter the URL for any other page, they all show perfectly and when I use the navigation bar to navigate from one of them to my home page, the home page also shows perfectly.
I then cleared the Chrome cache and tried again but the problem persists (Chrome only).
Should I continue the process?
Thanks.
MJ
Further to the above 3 posts, I searched for my home page using Chrome on my tablet and it showed. Then I tried from another laptop and I got the white screen. Then I searched my homepage from the laptop using IE and I got the white screen again ???
If you agree, I will continue with option 2.
Thanks
MJ
Sounds like you are making good progress.
I’d go ahead.. and begin with the plugins.
HostGator cPanel provides options for backing up both the files and the database.
You can also use a plugin for creating your backups, if you prefer:
http://wordpress.org/plugins/backupwordpress/
But yes… we aren’t going to find any bugs until we start deactivating plugins đ
OK, I’ll move on into the valley of the shadow of death đ
Fortunately for me Manuel Ruiz of mbrsolution.com offered to do this for me. He deleted the WP Super Cache plugin which he said I was not using and explained that having two cache plugins installed, even though one is not active or was active previously, can cause issues if one already has an active cache plugin. In my situation I am currently using W3 Total Cache. His advice to me is to never have two active cache plugins unless their tasks differ from one another.
That seems to have done the trick as everything is now working fine on all browsers.
Once again, thank you to everyone for your support. I believe I am out of this problem now.
