dgilmour

This can easily happen if the web server isn’t able to access the files. The first thing to check is that file ownership and protection settings on the new server are correct.

Have you read this? https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Multilingual_WordPress

It sounds like you’ve got PHP set to display error messages, which is usually not advised; it reveals information (e.g. directory paths you may not wish to disclose. It may be that these errors have been occurring, but were not until recently being displayed?

A quick search on your Chrome error retrieves posts from others describing similar symptoms with Chrome in some situations.

Have you tried another browser, to eliminate Chrome as the problem?

Do you definitely have a Site upload space limit set (“Limit total size of files uploaded to”) in Network Admin / Settings? If that’s not set, I don’t think the upload space used indication is displayed.

Are you using Multisite here? That’s not clear from your question. It sounds like what you want to do is add another separate installation in the root directory of the site. If that’s the case, you’re asking in the wrong forum.

Solved; wp-config.php had acquired a rogue new line after the final ?>.

Thanks to kingkong954: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/ms-filesphp-not-actually-serving-images?replies=8#post-1801522

It sounds like this installation has been told to use a database which was not empty, and conflicts are occurring with pre-existing site (blog) names in that database.

If what you want is a fresh installation, start with an empty database.

If you really want to build on that existing site, which doesn’t sound like a good idea given its history, follow the upgrade procedure.

I don’t remember ever having to create blogs.dir, but I have been using Multisite since earliest WPMU days, and maybe it wasn’t needed.

Could the file ownership of blogs.dir be the problem? That could happen if you created the blogs.dir directory from a terminal session, when logged on as root.

Hosts found this relevant forum post: https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/ms-filesphp-not-actually-serving-images?replies=8.

I should have realised PHP was in that loop. Haven’t been in there, so will ask hosts to take a look.

Great to get past the brick wall, many thanks. ??

Have you checked to see whether the table does exist, and just isn’t accessible for some reason, or is missing?

I attempted to install multisite but nothing come on (no menu to add site..)

What version of WordPress are you using?
What did your attempts consist of?
Were you using the instructions from the Codex?
The network admin link has moved with different versions of WordPress, details here: https://codex.www.ads-software.com/Multisite_Network_Administration#Network_Admin_Link_Location

I suggest going back a step and getting your fresh installation working properly before trying to add any new themes.

Is it a brand new installation, with a new, empty database?

Perhaps a next step would be to establish if the problem is being caused by the theme alone, or the theme in combination with some plug-in? To do that, disable all plugins and see if the problem goes away. If it does, enabling the plugins one at a time will hopefully allow you to determine which plugin is involved.