Email Alert + Missing Account

I assume your host has updated the PHP version. This means that the software you are using, in particular an apparently very old version of the Stagtools plugin, is no longer executable.

You would have to check whether you can temporarily set an older PHP version with your hoster (probably 7.4 would be enough, older if necessary …). If you can’t find this yourself, contact their support.

If the website is running again with this old PHP version, you should urgently look for updates. I assume the login will then work again. WordPress as well as all plugins and the theme should be updated – if possible. As you are using a very old version of WordPress 4.7, there may well be some problems here. It may be helpful to set up a test system to run through this. If you need help with this, you may be able to find someone here who can support you personally: https://jobs.wordpress.net/

Updating everything is urgently necessary as your host cannot provide old software packages for hosting for their own systems and your website for security reasons alone. If you have any questions in this regard, please contact their support.

www.ads-software.com?could not find my user name or email

Just to add, WordPress sites are entirely self-contained, and www.ads-software.com itself is not connected to WordPress sites in any way.

So, if you’ve never posted to the WordPress support forums before or contributed to WordPress’s development, it makes sense that you would need to register a new account here.

Thanks, @threadi and @macmanx, both comments are helpful in getting me up to speed & understanding. I think primary issue might be with my host which I confirmed runs PHP 4 by default, and can be upgraded to .5.2, 5.3, 5.5, or 5.6 with a patch. I’m completely naive to code, but as per the host’s instructions, I added a .htaccess text file w/ the following suggested code to my main directory.

Action php-cgi /cgi-bin/php56
AddHandler php-cgi .php

Now, the site won’t load at all, instead delivering a T_OBJECT_OPERATOR or T_STRING error. I’m going to look into a new host unless someone has a bright idea in the meantime. Thanks, again!

Try manually resetting your plugins (no Dashboard access required). If that resolves the issue, reactivate each one individually until you find the cause.

If that does not resolve the issue, access your server via SFTP or FTP, or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel (consult your hosting provider’s documentation for specifics on these), navigate to /wp-content/themes/ and rename the directory of your currently active theme. Hopefully, this will force the default theme to activate and rule out a theme-specific issue (theme functions can interfere like plugins).

Really appreciate the suggestions, @macmanx. Yet, I wasn’t able to reset plug-ins because my host does not support PHPmyadmin (is there another way to access or employ it?) and I’m still not able to log-in to my site to fulfill the third step of the second method. I also renamed the theme directories, a great idea, but it didn’t seem to effect anything.

Were you able to at least rename it to plugins.hold via FTP or SFTP?

If so, and you still can’t log in, the next question would be if you have a backup you can restore from. If so, try that.

Thanks again, @macmanx. I have full access to my directories & files via FTP. I did rename plugins and themes, but didn’t see any change. I’m going to work closer with the hosting company to see if I can resolve, including sourcing a backup. I don’t know if it applies to my situation, but I read about similar issues because the database password needed to be updated to be compatible with a new PHP.

I have one related question: how can I successfully move a 4.7 WP site to a new host that will likely be running a newer, incompatible PHP? Assuming once I am able to get into the admin controls, I’ll have to upgrade/change any plugins or themes that are incompatible with latest PHP, correct?

You should definitely move to a hosting provider that supports at least PHP 7.0: https://www.ads-software.com/about/requirements/

And, we have some recommended hosting providers here: https://www.ads-software.com/hosting/

To move your site, follow this guide: https://developer.www.ads-software.com/advanced-administration/upgrade/migrating/#moving-to-a-new-server

At this point, if it were me, I’d start there. If you still have the same problem after moving to a hosting provider with PHP 7.0 or higher active, and plugins disabled and the theme reset, then I recommend manually updating to WordPress 6.4.2: https://developer.www.ads-software.com/advanced-administration/upgrade/upgrading/

That will have the benefit of both replacing any damaged or missing core files and updating you to the latest WordPress.

Once you’re on WordPress 6.4.2 under the new host, update your plugins and reactivate them one-by-one, so that you can remove or find alternatives for any that are no longer compatible.

Next, try to activate the theme so you can also replace it if it’s no longer compatible.

All great resources, thanks again, @macmanx. I’ll report back if I have any helpful resolution for anyone else following the thread.