Cannot access website, only dashboard

I’m not sure if this is a host server problem or a WordPress related problem. I already contacted my host. They said they were able to dublicate the issue and are working on it, but that was yesterday and I really can’t wait for much longer.

It very much sounds like your host is having file server issues and possibly database as well.

Make VERY good backups, off line, and you may need to consider a new host if they can’t offer stability.

Thank you so much for your reply!
My host’s support team answered:
“I have fixed proper ‘User ID’ in your account and corrected permissions via backend. You should now be able to access the website upon fresh installation.”

I use iPage btw.
I’m really new to all of this. Is there any good hosts users of WordPress could recommend?

On a FRESH installation? That’s … Gee, thanks. :/

There are official recommended hosts: https://www.ads-software.com/hosting/

We generally don’t let folks pimp their own hosts (because that turns into a spam fest), even for us mods. I generally suggest folks search around the forums with a search for a specific host. Like if you looked up godaddy here, you’d get a lot of interesting results.

I understand. I’ll just google around yet again to see what alternatives are out there.

For now I was able to restore my WordPress.
Everything works again. I had to delete everything and really had a fresh/clean installation, because when I tried to keep my wp-content folder the same problem occured.

The thing is that it seemed to happen only with my current child theme. The default theme and the parent theme seemed to be okay. Once I activated my child theme and tried to edit it, the install.php screen appeared again.
The only thing I had changed recently was the index.php of my child theme.
Can that be the cause?

Now that I’ve got everything back, I want to work on my design again, mainly on the index.php, but now I’m afraid that something similar might happen again.
Any advice on that?

Thanks so much for your support! ??

It’s possible. Did you add anything to the functions.php in your child theme? That would be my first guess.

I don’t have the function.php in my child theme, only in my parent theme.
I tried copying it several times into my child theme, but I always get error message, so I stopped trying.

I can’t remember, but I’m quite sure that I didn’t.

So playing around with the index.php shouldn’t really be a problem, but with the function.php can be?

I tried copying it several times into my child theme, but I always get error message, so I stopped trying.

Just so you know that will NEVER work ?? You’d need to make your OWN functions.php (as a blank file), and add in whatever new functions you want. The parent’s functions are always inherited, so what you were doing is basically installing them twice ??

Otto has a good explanation of how functions work with child themes: https://ottopress.com/2010/wordpress-protip-child-themes/

As for the index.php, as with all things, you can always seriously goober your site ?? Make small changes, test, and then make more.

I see. Thanks a lot! Also for the link! ??
Great help!

I think the last thing I changed in my index.php before everything went byebye was this: https://perishablepress.com/press/2008/09/01/multiple-loops-and-multiple-columns-with-wordpress/