Admin page is blank

The White Screen means an error occurred and the Debugging mode is disable.

Please, follow these instructions here:
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Common_WordPress_Errors

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Debugging_in_WordPress

You might need to use FTP:
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/FTP_Clients

Dreamweaver has FTP also, but sometimes is better have a software for each task, is up to you.

Thank you -I’ve tried renaming the themes and plugins to no avail. So I turned on the debugging and the admin page now says “Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 1142 Fatal error: Call to undefined function wp_get_installed_translations() in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/update.php on line 32 ” Can anyone tell me what this means and what I can do about it?

I’ve found some links that might help you:

It seems the theme is getting a bug, change the theme until you finish the update, check this link out:

https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/fatal-error-locked-out-of-dashboard?replies=11

Still no luck -following that thread I removed all the themes except the 2013 one, but I still get a blank page when I log in. Anyone else got any ideas before I have to remove my blog entirely and look for a different host?

Hi @alanterrill,

Still having the same error “Deprecated: mysql_connect()”?

Yes indeed -here’s the latest error: Deprecated: mysql_connect(): The mysql extension is deprecated and will be removed in the future: use mysqli or PDO instead in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/wp-db.php on line 1142 Notice: register_sidebar_widget is deprecated since version 2.8! Use wp_register_sidebar_widget() instead. in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/functions.php on line 2900 Notice: register_widget_control is deprecated since version 2.8! Use wp_register_widget_control() instead. in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/functions.php on line 2900 Fatal error: Call to undefined function wp_get_installed_translations() in /content/shard2/sites3/f/o/follies.org.uk/web/wp/wp-includes/update.php on line 32

What one earth does it mean? And how do I find these lines eg something is apparently wrong on line 2900 but when I look at wp-config it doesn’t have any line numbers and I doubt it has as many at 2900 lines even if I did count down from the top.

Ok @alanterrill, can you rename your directory theme via FTP? Something temporary until the WordPress be up to date. Put a underscore before the name, like so:

Eq: twentyfourteen becomes _twentyfourteen

I really believe your theme has a few deprecated functions and that’s why you are getting these bugs.

Try update the WordPress using a different theme, renaming is a way you can do it, try do it and try access the Admin.
/wp-admin

Finish the update of your wordpress and check if works.

PS: ALWAYS MAKE A DATABASE BACKUP BEFORE CHANGE THE WORDPRESS.
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Backing_Up_Your_Database

Yes I can rename the theme. But how do I update WordPress using a different theme? As I can’t get into the admin screen, how can I download and install a new theme? I’m using the twentyeleven theme, but putting an underscore in front of it mean both the admin screen sand the public pages become blank.

Ok, so you have no access to the admin even after renaming your directory. That’s not easy.

We have to go for something deeper though.

That’s not easy to find out the error. The main think we need to focus now is try access the admin and finish the WordPress update.

I have some suggestions to try, after all these tries, one by each, please try access the admin and see if it works. You don’t need to follow my order, they’re all suggestion to debug this problem. Also, as soon as you updated the WordPress and sign in through the admin, change back for your own theme and try activating plugin by plugin

Before do any changes(one by each), make sure you backup your files and database, ok? Backup is never too much….

1) Update all Plugins via FTP:
Download one by one. If you realised that a plugin is too old, try remove from your FTP, even if it’s not activated, it can cause a bug on your WP.
PS: Try access admin and update it

2) Deactivate all Plugins hardcoding:
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/FAQ_Troubleshooting#How_to_deactivate_all_plugins_when_not_able_to_access_the_administrative_menus.3F
PS: Try access admin and update it

2) Update the WordPress via FTP. You can download from www.ads-software.com/download and send via FTP all files.
PS: Try access the admin and update

3) Increase the memory limit (this article would help you on it:
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-fix-the-wordpress-white-screen-of-death/
PS: Try access the admin and update

If nothing working after this, you can try ask a backup from your HOST Provider. They might have a database and files backups which my help you. Ask for a recovery, might be an option. Off course, after recovery, try update the WordPress via FTP, easily. A good way is find out the oldest version you had and go version by version to update.

Eq: From 3.1 to 3.2, after update the files and database from 3.3 to 3.4, etc etc

Good luck on that. I really hope can help you out.

Hi @alanterrill, any fix?

No -1) I didn’t understand how to download plugins when i couldn’t see the page to download them from. 2) -i renamed the plugins folder but it made no difference. 3) I downloaded a new copy of WordPress and uploaded the wp-admin and wp-includes folders. Should I do any more? I’m afraid of overwriting my content files. Anyway it made it worse _ i used to be able to see the login screen, no it is completely blank and I don’t even get a login box. I’ll try that memory limit tomorrow.

1) You can download all your plugins from the WordPress repo: https://www.ads-software.com/plugins/
You’ll need to upload them by FTP. You can also download from FTP and check their URL reading the annotation code “Plugin URI”, specially if they’re a Premium Plugin.

2) Before you update the content directory, make sure you download from your FTP. You should have always a backup. Don’t trust in your server only. It’s a big risk.

3) If you believe it’s worse, you can recovery your backup. I believe you had done it. Otherwise, don’t give up, I’m trying help you as much as I can…

https://codex.www.ads-software.com/WordPress_Backups
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Backing_Up_Your_Database
https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Restoring_Your_Database_From_Backup

Thank you for your patience – I find this program very frustrating – I’ve never come across one that is so easily corrupted before. I can’t understand why changing a theme or an update changes the admin screen so drastically that it is no longer accessible while leaving the blog pages readable. Why should any of these changes affect the admin page -surely the style of that is not affected by theme or plugin changes?
Anyway -I have copied the wp-content folder onto my PC but it seems to consist of lots of jpg files -all the photos I’ve added presumably, but I can’t see which files contain my text -what format are these in and what folder will I find them in? If I take a copy of all the files, upload a new copy of WordPress then I’ll have a working admin page (hopefully) but no content. So how can I upload the content only? If I just restore the whole thing I’ll be overwriting the new database with the old corrupted one.

I’ve downloaded a new copy of WordPress and then uploaded it to my site. Result? Admin page still blank and so is my blog. Time to give up unless anyone else can help.

@alanterril,

The reason a theme or a plugin can changes the admin is because they are connected each other. You can make any changes in your theme (functions.php) and it will changes the admin. For example, if you’re able to use thumbnails(feature image), it means or a plugin or your theme has it set up. So, it changes the admin, as it has a conditional to check if has something.

The white blank page, as I already mentioned to you is a BUG which should show an error. It’s very rare don’t show any error. It’s possible if you disable the debug mode, so it’s safe for the final user. In your case, you should be able to able the debug mode and it will show the error message. Without error message it’s very hard to solve any problem.

Can be a simple semi-colon “;” which is on the wrong place or something like that.

In PHP we have 3 kind of errors: Notices, Warning and Fatal errors
See more https://php.net/manual/en/errorfunc.configuration.php#ini.error-reporting

White blank page it’s a fatal error. So, we need to find out the Fatal error problem.

As I said, it can be a plugin, a theme or the core of the WordPress as they are connected.

So, in your case, you had a problem while updating the WordPress. So, I’d go to try as much as I can to update it. So it will be easily to keep going from there.

When the Admin is not able to be seen and the frontend stills ok, so a function which runs only on the Admin is corrupted and it needs to be fixed.

If you can see any errors, even after able the DEBUG mode, you should check your server. All servers must have a error file which contents hundreds and more hundreds of errors. If we would be able to see. We should going fixing error by error, until your website be fixed.

That’s not an easy job, specially if we can’t see the errors. The errors, normally show the file and the line which finish the process.

In your case can have 100 errors, or sometimes only 1. If you fix 1 error and still have no access to the admin, so you should go to fix another one.

I can see clearly you are not a developer, so the best case is asking for a professional developer to help you with full access.

Can be your support Host or anyone you can trust. Unfortunately I have no access and I can’t see what’s happening.

PS: Did you remove your themes and plugins? Try fix the database first, so you can keep going to the fix the theme/plugin later on.

PS2: Long time ago I had the same problem, and I realised the problem was in my translate files, if your WordPress is in another language(not English), removing the files can also fix the problem. As I said, can be ANYTHING.