Brand New Installation on Windows 8.1 – Themes do not appear

  • I have just downloaded…

    A) xampp-win32-5.6.3-0-VC11-installer.exe

    B) bitnami-wordpress-4.1.1-0-module-windows-installer

    Did clean install of A) then B) on a well-configured new windows 8.1 desktop PC. Using /localhost

    I go into dashboard>appearance>themes

    and the three themes there all appear as bland and white with no layout, no pictures etc. How do I make the themes work please?

    Cheers,
    Brad

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)

  • Install a browser inspector, if you are using firefox it would be firebug, each browser has an equivalent addon.
    Using the browser inspector look at the <head> block of your pages, look at where the theme and .css files are located.
    You may need to change your “Site Address” and “WordPress Address”, either in the Dashboard > Settings > General page, or in your “wp-config.php” file with:

    define('WP_HOME','https://example.com');
define('WP_SITEURL','https://example.com');

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Hi Ross, Thanks for your help.

    This is the <head> block. If WP is looking in the wrong location for twentyfifteen theme, how does this tell me where it should be looking?

    <head>
	<meta charset="UTF-8">
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width">
	<link rel="profile" href="https://gmpg.org/xfn/11">
	<link rel="pingback" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/xmlrpc.php">
	<!--[if lt IE 9]>
	<script src="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/themes/twentyfifteen/js/html5.js"></script>
	<![endif]-->
	<script>(function(){document.documentElement.className='js'})();</script>
	<title>brad's Blog! | Just another WordPress site</title>
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="brad's Blog! ? Feed" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/feed/">
<link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="brad's Blog! ? Comments Feed" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/comments/feed/">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="open-sans-css" href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Open+Sans%3A300italic%2C400italic%2C600italic%2C300%2C400%2C600&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext&ver=4.1.1" type="text/css" media="all">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="dashicons-css" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-includes/css/dashicons.min.css?ver=4.1.1" type="text/css" media="all">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="admin-bar-css" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-includes/css/admin-bar.min.css?ver=4.1.1" type="text/css" media="all">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="twentyfifteen-fonts-css" href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Noto+Sans%3A400italic%2C700italic%2C400%2C700%7CNoto+Serif%3A400italic%2C700italic%2C400%2C700%7CInconsolata%3A400%2C700&subset=latin%2Clatin-ext" type="text/css" media="all">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="genericons-css" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/themes/twentyfifteen/genericons/genericons.css?ver=3.2" type="text/css" media="all">
<link rel="stylesheet" id="twentyfifteen-style-css" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/themes/twentyfifteen/style.css?ver=4.1.1" type="text/css" media="all">
<!--[if lt IE 9]>
<link rel='stylesheet' id='twentyfifteen-ie-css'  href='https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/themes/twentyfifteen/css/ie.css?ver=20141010' type='text/css' media='all' />
<![endif]-->
<!--[if lt IE 8]>
<link rel='stylesheet' id='twentyfifteen-ie7-css'  href='https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/themes/twentyfifteen/css/ie7.css?ver=20141010' type='text/css' media='all' />
<![endif]-->
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery.js?ver=1.11.1"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-includes/js/jquery/jquery-migrate.min.js?ver=1.2.1"></script>
<link rel="EditURI" type="application/rsd+xml" title="RSD" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/xmlrpc.php?rsd">
<link rel="wlwmanifest" type="application/wlwmanifest+xml" href="https://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-includes/wlwmanifest.xml">
<meta name="generator" content="WordPress 4.1.1">
	<style type="text/css">.recentcomments a{display:inline !important;padding:0 !important;margin:0 !important;}</style>
<style type="text/css" media="print">#wpadminbar { display:none; }</style>
<style type="text/css" media="screen">
	html { margin-top: 32px !important; }
	* html body { margin-top: 32px !important; }
	@media screen and ( max-width: 782px ) {
		html { margin-top: 46px !important; }
		* html body { margin-top: 46px !important; }
	}
</style>
</head>

    I also superseded the entries in wp-config.wp with your suggestion.

    Unfortunately WP went off the rails.

    My installation is stock standard straight out of the box on a clean 8.1 system. When I selected the theme twentythirteen I found that one works!!

    I have been trying to see why it is different from the other two, but haven’t figured it out.

    Cheers,
    Brad

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    I apologise for all the HTML in my previous reply. I had assumed it would be limited in size and able to be viewed via a slider.

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Install a browser inspector, if you are using firefox it would be firebug, each browser has an equivalent addon.
    Using the browser inspector look at the <head> block of your pages, look at where the theme and .css files are located.

    What is happening!!! This is soooo frustrating!!!

    I have looked at the <head> block shown above. Is there something wrong with it straight from the installation?? I just tried to install a theme from the popular themes. That doesn’t appear either!! I don’t know how to get into massive debugging. With the huge following of WordPress I am astonished that it just doesn’t work.

    define(‘WP_HOME’,’https://example.com&#8217;);
    define(‘WP_SITEURL’,’https://example.com&#8217;);

    in wp-config.php didn’t produce any themes.

    Please help.

    Cheers,
    Brad

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    I have just done a clean standard install of XAMPP and WordPress on Windows 8.1

    I started to look through WordPress to become familiar and immediately had a problem, themes do not transfer into the default, original, untouched webpage. Ross Mitchell has been kind enough to help and has suggested that theme and .css files may be in the wrong place.

    The installer put them where they are!! Why would they be in the wrong place? If I get them into the right place, what other files has the installer put in the wrong place to cause more and more problems while I am busy trying to build a website?

    I just want to build a website. WordPress is supposed to be a fantastic CMS. I just wish it would work. I haven’t even got started.

    Cheers,
    Brad

    I have not suggested that the installer put them in the wrong place. I do suggest that your settings of Site Address and WordPress Address are not correctly describing where your files are.

    What are your Site Address and WordPress Address settings ?

    What are the lines you added to your wp-config.php file ?

    What happens when you try these lines:

    define('WP_HOME','https://localhost/wordpress');
define('WP_SITEURL','https://localhost/wordpress');

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Hi Ross,

    Sorry, I did not mean to imply you said that XAMPP placed the files in the wrong place. That was totally my own suggestion.

    Here is an extract from wp-config.php which is current and live.

    /* Standard values installed by XAMPP for WP_SITEURL and WP_HOME. */
    /**
    * With these standard values, themes do not appear on the webpages.
    * Supersede these values with those supplied by Ross Mitchell (below) from the support forum.
    *
    * define(‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://&#8217; . $_SERVER[‘HTTP_HOST’] . ‘/wordpress’);
    * define(‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://&#8217; . $_SERVER[‘HTTP_HOST’] . ‘/wordpress’);
    */

    /* Use these values supplied by Ross Mitchell from the support forum for WP_SITEURL and WP_HOME to try to make themes appear. */

    define(‘WP_HOME’,’https://localhost/wordpress&#8217;);
    define(‘WP_SITEURL’,’https://localhost/wordpress&#8217;);

    Unfortunately there is no change in behaviour. The themes do not fire up. The only “odd” thing I have noticed is that after I start the TOMCAT module in XAMMP it runs for a few minutes and stops. Could that be relevant?

    Regards,
    Brad

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    For additional information. I downloaded and installed the theme SKSDEV and that also does not appear.

    Moderator Samuel Wood (Otto)

    (@otto42)

    www.ads-software.com Admin

    If I get them into the right place, what other files has the installer put in the wrong place to cause more and more problems while I am busy trying to build a website?

    We do not make the bitnami installer code, and we have no certain way to know what it did or how it did it. WordPress does not come with nor do we recommend any executable installer packages.

    My advice would be to remove the WordPress install, and start over, doing it manually. Installing WordPress yourself on a local install is rather easy, especially with XAMPP. Just make a folder for it in /xampp/htdocs, copy the WordPress files in there, and visit the site. The setup is straightforward. Takes all of 5 minutes.

    https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Installing_WordPress#Famous_5-Minute_Install

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Hi Samuel,

    Not sure how you knew I had used bitnami. I hadn’t mentioned that fact – clever.

    Anyway, I uninstalled WordPress and painstakingly did a manual install. To my astonishment, the behaviour is exactly the same. The themes do not appear and when I install a new theme, that doesn’t appear either.

    Thanks for your help, I am bewildered.

    Cheers,
    Brad

    Hi Brad,

    Not sure how you knew I had used bitnami. I hadn’t mentioned that fact – clever.

    Actually, not that “clever” ?? … third line, original post

    B) bitnami-wordpress-4.1.1-0-module-windows-installer

    So you did in fact, get WP working with TwentyThirteen

    When I selected the theme twentythirteen I found that one works!!

    That means you WP install is fine. Something else is afoot. What are the EXACT steps you have been taking when attempting to install and activate a different theme?

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Hi Lyle,

    Yes, not so clever, really ??

    I am afraid I am going to run out of people helping me. This is exactly what I see immediately after the install…

    As soon as my Blog Advanced.School.Mathematics opens I get the Hello World! page which shows the text..

    Welcome to WordPress. This is your first Post. Edit or delete it then start blogging!

    The text is black on a white background with no photo, no theme. Am I right in thinking that the Twenty Fifteen theme should be here?

    When I go here…
    Appearance -> Themes

    I see Active: Twenty Fifteen, Twenty Fourteen, Twenty Thirteen

    If, for Twenty Fourteen I select Live Preview or Activate, I get the bland page again with no photo, no theme.

    If, for Twenty Thirteen I select Live Preview or Activate, I DO GET THE THEME. IT WORKS!!

    If I go to Add Themes and choose, for example, Abaris and install it and make it active, then…

    Heavens above!! It just worked this time – AAARRRRGGGHHH!!

    As I was writing this reply I was carrying out the steps as I went. I just re-checked and the Twenty Fifteen and Twenty Fourteen themes still don’t work. That still concerns me because I suspect the cause of that problem lies in wait to mess things up as I work on the website.

    I wonder why just these two themes don’t work. Do they fail for anybody else?

    Thanks for taking the time to help Lyle.

    Cheers,
    Brad

    All I can think of is ownership and permissions of directories.

    Please use your browser inspector (I use firebug) to view the page <head> piece of your pages, see what paths the theme is including, and see which files the browser is able to load. Also the “NET” tab to see what it says about the various files and images.
    If you can’t see what is wrong with the failed themes, then try the working themes and try and catch what is right about them.

    It will turn out to be something curious, like capitalisation of directory names or something.

    The text is black on a white background with no photo, no theme. Am I right in thinking that the Twenty Fifteen theme should be here?

    LOL ?? … That IS the TwentyFifteen Theme ?? … seriously!

    If, for Twenty Fourteen I select Live Preview or Activate, I get the bland page again with no photo, no theme.

    Those ARE the themes ??

    There will be no photos or any other content as you haven’t added it yet.

    If you are expecting to see what you see in the previews in Appearance > Themes that may be what is confusing you; that is demo content for the theme preview and it is NOT installed when you select any given theme.

    Thread Starter HeidiHo

    (@heidiho)

    Hi Lyle,

    Thank you for clarifying the situation. From the positive reviews I expect that I will find WordPess is an excellent CMS. At the moment I am having trouble suppressing my anger at the time I have wasted and the time of you guys that has been wasted by my questions.

    The human engineering that has gone into the introduction of a new user to themes is appalling!!

    Why the heck are there three themes up front all with graphics and layout called Twenty Fifteen, Twenty Fourteen and Twenty Thirteen where one can be previewed and made active as you would expect and two cannot. Naturally, if one just works, then I should expect that the other two would just work in exactly the same way also.

    Lyle, you say…

    There will be no photos or any other content as you haven’t added it yet.

    OK but I didn’t add anything to Twenty Thirteen either and it behaves as I think a new user would expect. It can be previewed and made active and is fully operational.

    Similarly there are buttons to preview and activate Twenty Fifteen and Twenty Fourteen which don’t work. The behaviour is not consistent. It is confusing and silly.

    Lyle, I am in no way having a go at you or the other guys who have helped me. The support is excellent!! I am hoping that my experience and feedback as a new user will be useful to the developers who are good enough to offer WordPress for free. Thanks again.

    Cheers,
    Brad

Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 16 total)
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