Internal server errors (error 500) are often caused by plugin or theme function conflicts, so if you have access to your admin panel, try deactivating all plugins. If you don’t have access to your admin panel, try manually resetting your plugins (no Dashboard access required). If that resolves the issue, reactivate each one individually until you find the cause.
If that does not resolve the issue, try switching to the Twenty Sixteen theme to rule-out a theme-specific issue. If you don’t have access to your admin panel, access your server via SFTP or FTP, or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel, navigate to /wp-content/themes/ and rename the directory of your currently active theme. This will force the default theme to activate and hopefully rule-out a theme-specific issue.
If that does not resolve the issue, it’s possible that a .htaccess rule could be the source of the problem. To check for this, access your server via SFTP or FTP, or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel, and rename the .htaccess file. If you can’t find a .htaccess file, make sure that you have set your SFTP or FTP client to view invisible files.
If you weren’t able to resolve the issue by either resetting your plugins and theme or renaming your .htaccess file, we may be able to help, but we’ll need a more detailed error message. Internal server errors are usually described in more detail in the server error log. If you have access to your server error log, generate the error again, note the date and time, then immediately check your server error log for any errors that occurred during that time period. If you don’t have access to your server error log, ask your hosting provider to look for you.
Thread Starter
Tzadi
(@tzadi)
Thank you James I appreciate the assistance.
To be honest I have never done this type of work before.
So what you are saying is pretty much Greek to me.
The owner of the company I used to work for contacted me and asked if I could make some changes to the website and his advertising campaign.
I had hired a contractor to set up the website last year.
I have since moved to India; after I left the company, one of the employees apparently got into the website and made some changes.
Now I (and everyone else involved) are locked out of the website.
I am attempting to communicate with the contractor we used> I was able to get the access reset for the web Hosting company we used. I sent that information to the contractor and have not heard anything back.
I am leary about going into things and making changes that are other than basic content changes, as the site is functional at this time and I do not want to do something to make it inactive.
I recommend referring to the guides linked to and consulting your hosting provider’s documentation and/or support for specifics. We can’t get more specific than that, as the specifics vary depending on the hosting provider and their server configuration.
If you want to try hiring someone else to go through that for you, please try http://jobs.wordpress.net/ or http://directory.codepoet.com/ and do not accept any hire or direct access offers posted to these forums.
Thread Starter
Tzadi
(@tzadi)
Thank you for all your help James.
we were able to resolve the issue
