Site Crash

**Mark.B** · Sat 8 Sep '18, 12:30am

You need to follow our guide here:

Converting your forum to https - vBulletin Community Forum

https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/articles/4361080-converting-your-forum-to-https

CONVERTING YOUR FORUM TO HTTPS Applies to self-hosted versions of: vBulletin3; vBulletin4; vBulletin5; Cloud sites have https enabled by default and you do not need to do anything. This FAQ explains how to

**CorbinH** · Sat 8 Sep '18, 1:29am

Oh this is scary stuff for a novice, I really not coping because of the crash. Are you saying that the crash was caused by me not following those instructions after HostGator installed the SSL? I did notice that they put the PHP version back to their default 5.4. So I chose 7.1 from their list and set that version. The fatal error has now gone and it now shows:

A System Error has occured.

The software is experiencing a systems error.

You should attempt to repeat your last action. If this error occurs again, please contact the site administrator.

The instructions you refer to above will be difficult because I cannot get the site online to be able to go to AdminCP

**Mark.B** · Sat 8 Sep '18, 1:33am

I would speak to your host in the first instance as they should not be leaving sites running obsolete php versions. You will at some point need to follow the guide though as just installing a certificate isn't enough. You need to update the URL settings for instance.

**CorbinH** · Sat 8 Sep '18, 11:40pm

Hi Mark, Hostgator cannot fix our problem and say the errors are with vBulletin software. They ran some tests and came back with this:
"Class 'vB_Products' not found in /home4/shaddsi/public_html/core/vb/vb.php on line 602".
They have cancelled the SSL for now and it's back to HTTP only. I don't know how to fix this so is there a way we can do a clean re install of 5.4.3 ?

**Mark.B** · Sun 9 Sep '18, 5:10am

Originally posted by CorbinH

Hi Mark, Hostgator cannot fix our problem and say the errors are with vBulletin software. They ran some tests and came back with this:
"Class 'vB_Products' not found in /home4/shaddsi/public_html/core/vb/vb.php on line 602".
They have cancelled the SSL for now and it's back to HTTP only. I don't know how to fix this so is there a way we can do a clean re install of 5.4.3 ?

I'd be a rich man if I had a pound / dollar for every time a host blamed the software.

If it's a vBulletin issue, ask them why it works for all our other customers. And also ask them why they changed the php version when all they were doing was installing an ssl certificate.

As to the actual problem, I would check what version of php is actually running. Use a phpinfo file in the same folder as the forum.

**CorbinH** · Sun 9 Sep '18, 5:08pm

From what I can see we are running PHP 7.1 I don't know what you mean by "Use a phpinfo file in the same folder as the forum". I would have thought that a professional approach would have seen vBulletin and HostGator go one-on-one to sort this out on behalf of their client. Being a novice at this and thrown in the deep end, I am not coping with any of this. I suppose the final result will be that we won't have a forum anymore. Too bad I guess - that's life. Thanks for your help guys, I know you do your best. Cheers.

**Mark.B** · Mon 10 Sep '18, 12:56am

We cannot deal with hosts directly.
The issue is a hosting problem, not a vBulletin problem.
We are not server experts, that is the role of your hosts, which they seem somewhat inept at since they seemingly can't install a certificate without changing php versions and breaking your site.

To create a phpinfo file, open a plain text file, add the following lines, and save:

Filename: phpinfo.php

PHP Code:


<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Upload this to your forum directory and load the file in your browser.

**CorbinH** · Mon 10 Sep '18, 1:33am

This is the current error:

**BirdOPrey5** · Mon 10 Sep '18, 2:10am

Check your server for a file called error_log in your public_html directory, rename it error_log.old, then try to browse to your site homepage one time, then go back to the webserver and error_log will be recreated (you might need to refresh the page) and see what is listed. Post what is there but remove anything sensitive.

You could try running the upgrade.php script again. (Upload a fresh set of 5.4.3. files and run upgrade.php)

**Wayne Luke** · Mon 10 Sep '18, 1:39pm

Originally posted by CorbinH

This is the current error:

This error typically means the vBulletin system cannot connect to the database. Were any changes made to the database?

You can get more information by putting the site into Debug Mode.

Configuring Debug Mode - vBulletin Community Forum

https://www.vbulletin.com/go/vb5debug

Debug mode is useful for development purposes- it is required if you will be creating VB5 Modifications you intend to distribute for others to download. However it is also useful for trouble-shooting issues with your site as debug mode often provides more specific error messages when something goes wrong- as such if you are

**CorbinH** · Mon 10 Sep '18, 5:38pm

Originally posted by Joe D.

Check your server for a file called error_log in your public_html directory, rename it error_log.old, then try to browse to your site homepage one time, then go back to the webserver and error_log will be recreated (you might need to refresh the page) and see what is listed. Post what is there but remove anything sensitive.

You could try running the upgrade.php script again. (Upload a fresh set of 5.4.3. files and run upgrade.php)

I renamed the error_log file to error_log.old, tried looging in, got the 404 error and then revisited the pupli_html folder and no new error_log file was there.
I uploaded the upgrade files again but can't run the upgrade.php as I can't access the site. Now I am worried sick about this. Thanks for trying.
Would you believe, halfway through the upload, a member emailed me to say congratulations, it's up and running! I assume because I was uploading and overwriting files that I caused the site to get broken again - bad timing eh? Another thing I noticed, when I visited the site via filezilla, I was now unable to open the file where the database is located. These are the screenshots:

**Mark.B** · Wed 12 Sep '18, 3:35pm

When I realised the site was still down, I took the liberty of using some credentials from an old support ticket and I've actually managed to fix this up.
See https://www.vbulletin.com/node/4398278

You still need to talk to your hosts regarding the SSL certificate, however the main issues were;

1. Corrupted .htaccess file one level above the forums (this could be seen in the server error logs:

Code:

</IfModule> without matching <IfModule> section

I renamed it to .htaccess2 which got rid of the 500 error.

2. php version was still 5.4 - too low - I changed it to 7.1 and this brought the site back up, albeit on http.

Your host needs to do a proper job of the certificate without messing other stuff up, and also this guide needs to be followed to get the site onto https properly:
https://www.vbulletin.com/forum/arti...forum-to-https

**CorbinH** · Wed 12 Sep '18, 6:10pm

Thank you Mark for helping to get this issue sorted. Your assistance has been invaluable. I don't have faith in HostGator getting the SSL installed correctly so we will wait a while. Again, thank you to all who helped us get this solved. Cheers from Australian Photoholics Form

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