I should add that before installing WPForms I also installed PHPBB in a subdirectory of my site. I used the same database username, but created a separate database for it. It “should” be a completely separate thing and I’ve made no effort to integrate it with WP. (I understand that is a bad idea.) PHPBB also worked for a while, but is no longer working, either.
The last thing I actually did, though, was the WPForms install and partial creation.
>> I used the same database username <<
That’s bad because if either WP or PHPBB is hacked, the hacker will also have access to your other site. Separate the databases and use different DB users for each.
What happens if you recreate your .htaccess file? What’s in your .htaccess file?
Also, ask your host to take a look as they have access to logs that are probably not available to you.
Thanks. I’ll check into those things when I get back from the actual Kayaking For The Birds…
Hi
Using FTP/ SFTP , or your web-host’s cPanel or whatever file management application your host provides, access phpMyAdmin on your host, then find your DB, there check the wp_options Table (Note: The table prefix of wp_ may be different if you changed it when installing), and make sure siteurl field and home field are correct. See https://codex.wordpress.org/Changing_The_Site_URL#Changing_the_URL_directly_in_the_database
If you haven’t already done, always backup your database before doing any actions, just in case something really goes wrong. You can never have enough backups!
I went to the control panel and tried to use phpMyAdmin. I’ve used this occasionally since 2005 but not since they installed the latest cpanel. It doesn’t work, either. So I will have to sort that out.
But here’s something that might have screwed it up. I was looking at the .htaccess file and noticed that there is also a .htaccess.OFF file which was apparently the original or default one or something. I ran them through UltraCompare and a section has been added to the bottom that starts with the line:
# for PHP7-CGI
The .htaccess file is mod-dated at around the same time that my site stopped working. And at around that time I may have changed the php version on my site. I went into the PHP Manager in the Control Panel. It didn’t say what the default version was and it looked like I needed to select one in order to “manage” it. The choices were PHP V7.1 or V7.2. I selected V7.2.
I just tried changing it to the only other option: V7.1 and that doesn’t fix the site, but I still suspect that I did something really wrong here. Is this recoverable? I have a few days invested in the WordPress part of the site and I’m not on anyone’s payroll, so I could just scrap the whole thing, delete my database, and start over from scratch. But if I can fix it without too much work I would prefer to do that.
Is the index.php file in the root of the site the WordPress index.php?
Yes, index.php is from WordPress.
Did your wp/phpbb setup ever actually work?
Yes. Both were working. Then they both weren’t.
This morning I completely removed the PHPBB files and deleted the database. I started over with a new database with a new username. I uploaded their installation files and tried to install. It wouldn’t even start. I contacted the aplus.net support and they just told me they were escalating it. Maybe something is wrong with the database that is affecting both sites. Anyway, let’s let this ride for a bit until they sort out the database and maybe everything else will work, too.
Thanks.
Well it’s back. I think something was wrong with the database. I contacted support about a different issue (couldn’t get phpMyAdmin to come up) and when they fixed that the site suddenly started to work again. Tell me it ain’t magic….
Thanks for all the help. Since they didn’t tell me what was wrong (or if I caused it) I may be back.
