Title: [Plugin: BackUpWordPress] shell_exec() issue
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# [Plugin: BackUpWordPress] shell_exec() issue

 *  Resolved [tgeene](https://wordpress.org/support/users/tgeene/)
 * (@tgeene)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/)
 * Was working one day then the next I started getting the following.
 * Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘which zip’ in/
   home/content/12/6883215/html/wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/functions/backup.
   files.functions.php on line 69
 * Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘which /usr/bin/
   zip’ in /home/content/12/6883215/html/wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/functions/
   backup.files.functions.php on line 69
 * Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘/usr/bin/mysqldump’
   in /home/content/12/6883215/html/wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/functions/
   backup.files.functions.php on line 84
 * Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘mysqldump’ in/
   home/content/12/6883215/html/wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/functions/backup.
   files.functions.php on line 74
 * Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘/usr.mysql/bin/
   mysqldump’ in /home/content/12/6883215/html/wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/
   functions/backup.files.functions.php on line 74
 * [http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/backupwordpress/](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/backupwordpress/)

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

 *  Plugin Author [Tom Willmot](https://wordpress.org/support/users/willmot/)
 * (@willmot)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185088)
 * Thanks for reporting your issue.
 * Do you see the following warning on the manage backups page?
 * `✗ shell_exec is disabled which means we have to use the slower PHP fallbacks,
   you could try contacting your host and asking them to enable it.`
 *  Plugin Author [Tom Willmot](https://wordpress.org/support/users/willmot/)
 * (@willmot)
 * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185149)
 * I’m working on a fix for this issue, in the meantime adding the following to 
   your wp-config.php file should fix the issue.
 * define( ‘HMBKP_MYSQLDUMP_PATH’, false );
    define( ‘HMBKP_ZIP_PATH’, false );
 *  [michapixel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michapixel/)
 * (@michapixel)
 * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185150)
 * I’m having similar issues. Although safe_mode ‘seems’ to be off (phpinfo says
   that) i’m getting:
 * > Warning: shell_exec(): Cannot execute using backquotes in Safe Mode in /[…]/
   > wp-content/plugins/backupwordpress/functions/backup.files.functions.php on 
   > line 69
 * my phpinfo:
    [http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1978324/backupwordpress/index.html](http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1978324/backupwordpress/index.html)
 *  [michapixel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michapixel/)
 * (@michapixel)
 * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185151)
 * uh: btw: if i
 *     ```
       define( 'HMBKP_MYSQLDUMP_PATH', false );
       define( 'HMBKP_ZIP_PATH', false );
       ```
   
 * the errors are gone, but i cannot make any backups. .htaccess file is created
   but no sql backup.
 *  Plugin Author [Tom Willmot](https://wordpress.org/support/users/willmot/)
 * (@willmot)
 * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185152)
 * Do you have access to your server error log?
 * It looks like your server may be running in safe_mode even though php_info reports
   it isn’t.
 *  [michapixel](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michapixel/)
 * (@michapixel)
 * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185153)
 * Uh, oh, all sorts of weird things. you should know that i’m testing on a synology
   server right now, where everything seems to be fucked up – related to web-dev..
   so php was logging to syslog, which is normally not accessible. so i had to edit
   the php.ini a little bit. i found out that they used a windows default ini, which
   was causing quite some trouble. now i have access to the logfile, but there’s
   nothing in there. simple errors get logged though. anyway: thanks for trying 
   to help me, but this gets way too much for you, since it is way too specific.
   i wrote my own cronjob for backing up my database with rotation now. the files
   get backupped by a synolgy cron script, so i’m fine with that too.
 *  [chriscallahan](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chriscallahan/)
 * (@chriscallahan)
 * [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185170)
 * I’m having the same issue. It began just after an automatic upgrade of WordPress:
 * I made the additions noted above to wp_config.php, but still have the warnings.
   And it prevents me from accessing the WP Admin Dashboard:
 * > Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘hash mysqldump
   > 2>&1’ in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-content\plugins\
   > backupwordpress\hm-backup\hm-backup.php on line 712
   > Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘hash zip 2>&
   > 1’ in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-content\plugins\backupwordpress\
   > hm-backup\hm-backup.php on line 739
   > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output
   > started at E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-config.php:1) 
   > in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-login.php on line 349
   > Warning: Cannot modify header information – headers already sent by (output
   > started at E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-config.php:1) 
   > in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-login.php on line 361
 * Site is live and loads, but has two warnings at the top:
 * > Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘hash mysqldump
   > 2>&1’ in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-content\plugins\
   > backupwordpress\hm-backup\hm-backup.php on line 712
   > Warning: shell_exec() [function.shell-exec]: Unable to execute ‘hash zip 2>&
   > 1’ in E:\Sites\Single1\battenkillbooks\webroot\index\wp-content\plugins\backupwordpress\
   > hm-backup\hm-backup.php on line 739
 * Is there a simple way to deactivate BackupWordPress? Or do I have to do a complete
   manual re-install of WP?

Viewing 7 replies - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

The topic ‘[Plugin: BackUpWordPress] shell_exec() issue’ is closed to new replies.

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 * 7 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [chriscallahan](https://wordpress.org/support/users/chriscallahan/)
 * Last activity: [14 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/plugin-backupwordpress-shell_exec-issue/#post-2185170)
 * Status: resolved