Title: error: PHP event: code E_WARNING: popen() has been disabled
Last modified: August 30, 2016

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# error: PHP event: code E_WARNING: popen() has been disabled

 *  Resolved [Ra](https://wordpress.org/support/users/w1lb0ra/)
 * (@w1lb0ra)
 * [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/)
 * Hi,
    i get an error when using updraft plus. The backup hangs on backing up the
   database: PHP event: code E_WARNING: popen() has been disabled for security reasons(
   line 933, wp-content/plugins/updraftplus/class-updraftplus.php) (Nov 18 22:20:
   26)
 * Adding this to wp config didnt help:
    define(‘UPDRAFTPLUS_PREFERPCLZIP’, true);
   neither did this: define(‘UPDRAFTPLUS_MYSQLDUMP_EXECUTABLE’, ”);
 * I hope you can help me.
 * Regards,
    Ra
 * [https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/updraftplus/)

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Plugin Author [David Anderson / Team Updraft](https://wordpress.org/support/users/davidanderson/)
 * (@davidanderson)
 * [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/#post-6764006)
 * Where in your wp-config.php are you putting that? It seems not to be taking effect,
   so you may be putting it too late.
 * David
 *  Thread Starter [Ra](https://wordpress.org/support/users/w1lb0ra/)
 * (@w1lb0ra)
 * [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/#post-6764160)
 * Hi David,
 * Thanks for your help.
    I didnt know where to put it, so i put it at the bottom.
   some backgrund info: i have ithemes security installed. before installing it,
   updraft was working fine. no longer though. i asked them (ithemes support) to
   help me, but they think the problem isnt caused by ithemes.
 * im thinking of buying updraft for all my sites, but i do need them to work with
   ithemes security.
 * Hope you can help.
    Regards, Ra
 *  Plugin Author [David Anderson / Team Updraft](https://wordpress.org/support/users/davidanderson/)
 * (@davidanderson)
 * [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/#post-6764178)
 * Hi,
 * You should put it towards the top of the wp-config.php. At the bottom, it can’t
   take effect.
 * It’s not to do with iThemes. The problem is that your PHP engine on your web 
   hosting setup crashes completely if the script calls the PHP popen() function.
   It ought to just return an error instead of crashing completely. But, defining
   the two defines above works around it by making sure popen() is not called.
 * David
 *  Thread Starter [Ra](https://wordpress.org/support/users/w1lb0ra/)
 * (@w1lb0ra)
 * [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/#post-6764182)
 * Hi David,
 * Thanks for your excellent help and your quick responses. Placing the 2 defines
   towards the top fixed the problem.
 * Thank you 🙂
 * Ra

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

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## Tags

 * [Database Error](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/database-error/)
 * [Hangs](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/hangs/)

 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [Ra](https://wordpress.org/support/users/w1lb0ra/)
 * Last activity: [10 years, 5 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-php-event-code-e_warning-popen-has-been-disabled/#post-6764182)
 * Status: resolved