It’s OK if you are not able to do such things, but there are other options. You may want to to use a host that includes better site management (hosting recommendations here are not allowed), or simply switch to WordPress.com (they handle all of the work to do so) and let them keep the back end running well (or hire an expert for such work). There are costs associated, so you will have to decide how much your site is worth keeping up and running is to you.
Could you try to click to update and when you get “Page not found” copy the full url here?
@pioneer Valley – thanks for the suggestion. Money’s too tight to move around right now but I’ve already faced the likely possibility that I’ll have to move within the next year. Blargh! 🙂
@mark – Hi! Here’s the link I get when I hit any of my updates buttons:
http://thebakingrobot.com/wp-admin/update-core.php
And for example, here’s what I get if I try to update my Akismet plugin:
http://thebakingrobot.com/wp-admin/update.php?action=upgrade-plugin&plugin=akismet%2Fakismet.php&_wpnonce=da73655e7c
Both lead to “page not found” pages.
Now at the top of any admin page, along with the box that reads “WordPress 3.9.1 is available. Please update now.” there’s another box right beside it that reads “An automated WordPress update has failed to complete – please attempt the update again now.”
Both links lead to “page not found.”
Your theme is TwentyEleven version 1.3 but the current version is 1.8. That’s a lot of bug fixes. Consider updating. Take a backup before starting.
Hi lorro! Thanks so much for your response. I’ve followed your advice and took a backup but when I hit “update theme” it says “downloading update from https://wordpress.org/themes/download/twentyeleven.1.8.zip…” and then just stops. This is the same thing that happens when I try to update a plugin.
Again, thanks so much for your response!
Use FTP to delete the contents of wp-contents/themes/twentyeleven. Unzip the theme on your hard drive and use FTP to copy the theme files to that directory on the server.
I know you don’t want to hear this, but it looks to me like a manual update is the way to go. Do you know what went wrong when you tried it before?
How are you currently transferring files to/from your host – with an FTP Client program installed on your computer? Or using a method provided by your web host (which host?), such as a file manager in cpanel…?
Also what version of WordPress do you have now (it’s on the Dashboard->’At a Glance’)?
@pyjamaman – Last night I had someone manually update WordPress for me so I’ve got 3.9.1 running. When I attempted to do it on my own, I followed the instructions in the Codex and got as far as deleting the wp-includes and wp-admin directories through FTP but I couldn’t figure out how to upload the new directories. I had downloaded the .zip but beyond that I was lost. And thaaaat’s when my blog disappeared. I did not have a fun time just now reliving that memory.
As for how I current transfer files to/from my host – I don’t know what this means so… is that bad? That’s probably bad. I’m getting a feeling that this is a bad thing that I don’t know about.
But now that’s updated and I’m still not able to access widgets or plugins. So I’m gathering my courage today to attempt lorro’s suggestion of manually updating the theme. It might take a while.
Thanks so much for suggestions, everyone. I really really appreciate it. 🙂
Your ‘host’ is simply the company your paying to host your blog. The ‘server/host/wordpress installation’ are basically referring to the same thing. It’s the place where you deleted those directories, where your website is stored.
There are two main ways that you can access the host/server to delete files or to “transfer/move files [between] the host” and your own computer. One involves logging into your account and using online tools provided. The other involves using an “FTP (File Transfer Protocol) program” like FileZilla that you install on your computer. The later is generally easier BUT requires setting up, whereas the online tools are already there.
I’m sorry to say that I can’t see any way that updating the theme (manually or otherwise) is going to make your plugins/widgets start working. What exactly does “not able to access widgets or plugins” mean? The items are there in your menu? You click on the menu item and… the Plugins/Widget page gets displayed? Then..?
So I click on the Widgets page and normally there’s a rows of widgets listed, and then to the right side of the page there’s a side bar menu. At least that’s how I remember it. But now when I click on the Widgets page it lists three widgets – Akismet Widget, Archives, and Blog Subscriptions (Jetpack). Otherwise it’s a blank page. When I hover over these the box gets a border, like I can click it and do something with it, but nothing happens when I try.
As for the plugins, half of the time when I click on the page it brings me to a “Page not found” error. You know the definition of insanity is repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different result? I feel like that when I have to click “refresh” over and over and after about five times I can get to my plugins page. So once I’m there it looks normal, but if I try to update or deactivate it brings me again to “Page not found.” When I got to this point last night, I would keep refreshing until I got to a page that said something like “downloading…” but nothing happened at all. And now today I can’t even get to that spot, it’s just “page not found.”
I realize now I sound stupid AND crazy.
As far as the host question, I was in cPanel and used “File Manager” to break my blog. Was I using the wrong program? There’s another folder icon next to it that reads “Legacy File Manager.” There’s not an icon for just FTP, there’s a “FTP Accounts” and “FTP Session Control.”
Give it to me straight – is this totally helpless? All I want to do is change my mail subscription, change my Instagram icon link, and maybe add something like “popular posts” to my side bar. I’m way out of my league here.
You don’t sound stupid OR crazy. You sound like someone stuck with something that’s not working as it’s supposed to.
Have you tried clicking the “Check Again” button under Dashboard->Updates since the manual update?
Using cpanel->File Manager is fine, forget I ever said “FTP” – more confusing than it’s worth. In cpanel, when you click on the File Manager, a little box opens. There’s a checkbox that says “Show Hidden Files (dotfiles)”. Make sure that’s checked, and continue. Ensure you’re in the root directory – the one you were in before that contains the wp-admin and wp-includes folder. There should also be a .htaccess file (an example of a hidden/dotfile). Is there a .maintenance file? If so delete it and then try the “Check Again” button in Dashboard->Updates again. Anything?
If not (this is when I get my turn to sound crazy!), create a .maintenance file by clicking on the “Create File” button, top left in cpanel’s File Manager. No need to put anything in the file. Try the “Check Again” button again. Delete the .maintenance file. “Check Update” again. Anything?
If still no progress, I can’t help thinking there may have been a problem with the Manual Update that was done for you.
In case you worry (not unreasonably) that I don’t know what I’m talking about, there’s explanation of the .maintenance file here (step 1.5):
http://codex.wordpress.org/Updating_WordPress
and a previous support topic about creating/deleting it here:
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/what-to-try-if-you-cant-find-the-maintenance-file-after-an-update?replies=2
So first, let me admit that I realized where I went wrong when I tried to update WordPress manually by myself: I didn’t realize that in File Manager there was an “extract” button! Yes, that’s right. I extracted the .zip on my computer and then attempted to upload every single file individually. Haaaaaaaa. How many hours of my life have I wasted this week NOT knowing about the extract button? Probably like six. I’m dying over here.
Okay pyjamaman, thanks for sticking with me. Currently I can’t get into Dashboard>Updates to click the “check again” button as every time – no matter how much refreshing I do – I get the “page not found” error. Which has quickly become my worst enemy. I’ll see that page in my sleep now.
I did spot the .htaccess file but there wasn’t a .maintenance. Created one, still not able to access Dashboard>Updates. Deleted it, still no access.
Which leads me to fearnowrath’s suggestion of trying new plugins! After watching three (yes… three) YouTube videos on manually uploading plugins and discovering my new BFF “extract” I was able to upload both of those plugins. However (and you knew this was coming, based on how horrible everything else has worked out for me) I can’t access my plugins page to check to see if they’re there and to activate them, as our “page not found” error appears, despite my constant and frantic refreshing.
I want to thank you all so much for your patience and help but I’m afraid I’m nearing our destination of Give Up Now. This has been your pilot Don’t Ever Try to Improve Your Blog and Just Stick to Baking Cupcakes. I wish I could send a pie to all of you.
