My outdated wordpress website has disappeared

  • First, I accept complete responsibility for creating this problem for myself. I’m a bit timid about technology, so when it came time to update my self-hosted wordpress website I read the instructions, didn’t understand all of it, was concerned about the line that all my data could disappear and took the dog for a walk instead of proceeding. Now my website administrator’s URL gets me to a white page with this written multiple times with different line numbers:
    “Deprecated: Assigning the return value of new by reference is deprecated in /home/content/l/d/s/ldsword/html/wp-includes/cache.php on line”
    rather than a clean website. The website itself is corrupted in the same way but I can read some of it. I can’t log on as administrator.

    What do you suggest I do now to get to the administrator’s site so I can update wordpress? Once I fix this problem, I’ll deal with my fear of updating.

    thanks very much for any help you can give
    Deborah

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

  • I read the instructions, didn’t understand all of it, was concerned about the line that all my data could disappear and took the dog for a walk instead of proceeding

    Oh dear. Now we have to wonder about what any potential hackers were doing whilst you were walking the dog.

    What the site’s url?

    Thread Starter ldsword

    (@ldsword)

    Hackers. Oh dear. Something else to worry about?

    The URL is conflictcompetence.com.

    I am much more comfortable dealing with conflict than I am with technology. Not many people feel that way – I’m guessing.

    Well, the good news is that the site scanner couldn’t find any signs of an obvious hack – probably because your copy of WordPress (2.3.2) is now so old that the hackers can’t be bothered with it.

    What I think has happened is that your hosts have upgraded your server and the newer version of PHP (the coding language used to run WordPress) is now complaining about the outdated coding in your site.

    First, I suggest you contact your hosts and ask them to please suppress all PHP errors and warnings on the site. The fact that these warnings are showing is something of a security risk and a good host wouldn’t allow them to show at all.

    Second, you really need to update your site. Sooner or later, your site may stop working completely simply because it’s too old. Problem is – you now have a huge task ahead of you. You’d need to carry out most of those missed upgrades one-at-a-time to get your site up to date. Or you could wipe the site out, install the current version of WP (3.4.2) and start over again.

    Please don’t ignore upgrade messages. They’re not there just because WP wants to show off new flashy features. Keeping WP up-to-date is the first – and best- defence against hackers. You might like conflict but you really, REALLY, don’t want to get into a fight with hackers on your site.

    Thread Starter ldsword

    (@ldsword)

    Mea culpa. I accept your wisdom and appreciate the advice and good news that nothing insidious has happened. Thank you Esmi. I like the start over option – sounds much less scary and time consuming.

    The subtext of your message about ‘good host’ also suggests I need to do a review of the set up at a whole other level. I’ll get to work.

    Very grateful for the help!!
    Deborah

    Glad I could help ??

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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