Title: 500 Internal Server Error after changing PHP version Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # 500 Internal Server Error after changing PHP version * Resolved [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * (@phpika) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/) * Hello, * Recently against my wishes my host upgraded to a version of PHP 5.x This broke some things on my website and recently I managed to get them to downgrade back to PHP 4.x * However doing this seems to have broke part of my blog. I can still read it fine, but when I try to go to the admin panel to login I get a 500 Internal Server Error page come up. I have absolutely no idea why it does this but I can only assume it’s due to the PHP upgrade/downgrade because it all worked fine before. My host says they have no idea why this is happening and are not helping. This is beyond my knowledge of running a website. * Could anyone please help? It’s quite annoying as through no fault of my own I now can’t update my blog and I’m losing traffic. Has this happened before to anyone? How do I fix this? Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total) * Thread Starter [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * (@phpika) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179093) * Sorry to double post but I can’t find a way to edit this into my original post. To add some more details I have researched this problem but to no avail. The most common solution was that the problem was something to do with the .htaccess file. * I made a backup of this file and deleted it to test it out but nothing changed so I don’t think that’s the problem. * [whooami](https://wordpress.org/support/users/whooami/) * (@whooami) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179111) * look in your error logs. what do they say? * Thread Starter [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * (@phpika) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179327) * The error log says: * ``` [27-Apr-2009 23:33:07] PHP Warning: main(ABSPATHwp-includes/compat.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/pikachu/public_html/wp/wp-settings.php on line 246 [27-Apr-2009 23:33:07] PHP Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required 'ABSPATHwp-includes/compat.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/pikachu/public_html/wp/wp-settings.php on line 246 [29-Apr-2009 11:14:08] PHP Warning: main(ABSPATHwp-includes/compat.php): failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/pikachu/public_html/wp/wp-settings.php on line 246 [29-Apr-2009 11:14:08] PHP Fatal error: main(): Failed opening required 'ABSPATHwp-includes/compat.php' (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/pikachu/public_html/wp/wp-settings.php on line 246 ``` * Thread Starter [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * (@phpika) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179344) * Hello, * Sorry to bump the topic but does anyone have any clue why this is happening? I don’t think the error log is of any help. * Thanks * [RichDevman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdevoman/) * (@webdevoman) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179366) * I am having the same problem with a brand new install… This is really pissing me off and I am wasting too much time on this. * Come on WordPress! Many people are having this issue! What is the fix?? * I have 2 other blogs on my server both running the same version of wordpress and both are working fine. This fresh install will not work for me.. I am having the same “line 246” error related to the compat.php file. It says the file is missing but it is there and I really don’t feel like messing with it anymore. Is there a fix or what?? * [RichDevman](https://wordpress.org/support/users/webdevoman/) * (@webdevoman) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179367) * My problem is related to htaccess… I am working on it now.. Not sure if every one else’s problem is the same.. * I removed my htaccess file and everything worked fine…I need my htaccess though for the main site so I am working that out now.. * webdevoman.com * Thread Starter [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * (@phpika) * [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179368) * For anyone who ever has this problem and comes across this topic, I finally managed to fix it. My problem was not with the .htaccess file as that was one of the first things I tried. * I fixed it by simply backing up my files and database tables before deleting them all and dropping them respectively. I had to install WordPress again and then delete the newly created database tables and import my old database backup. * All except the HTML block widgets was recovered. Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total) The topic ‘500 Internal Server Error after changing PHP version’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [internal](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/internal/) * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/) * [server](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/server/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 7 replies * 3 participants * Last reply from: [phpika](https://wordpress.org/support/users/phpika/) * Last activity: [16 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/500-internal-server-error-after-changing-php-version/#post-1179368) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics