So what happened that scared me? Just a simple email:
Howdy! Your site at https://cheerfulmonk.com has been updated automatically to WordPress 5.4.4.
For more on version 5.4.4, see the About WordPress screen:
https://cheerfulmonk.com/wp-admin/about.phpWordPress 5.5.3 is also now available. Updating is easy and only takes a few moments:
https://cheerfulmonk.com/wp-admin/update-core.phpIf you experience any issues or need support, the volunteers in the WordPress.org support forums may be able to help.
https://wordpress.org/support/forums/Keeping your site updated is important for security. It also makes the internet a safer place for you and your readers.
The WordPress Team
An article on whether or not to automatically update says doing it means you don’t have to think about updates… when they work…but occasionally they can crash your site. I have a backup service that does daily backups and stores them for 90 days, so for the past year or so I have been updating WordPress when it has a new version. There were no problems until I tried updating to 5.5.3… it caused problems with my comment section and restoring the backup didn’t fix everything.
At the moment I don’t trust WordPress updates…I know it’s making big changes and I want to go back to checking updates on a test site before I use them here at cheerfulmonk.
The following is a lot of technical stuff, easily skipped, but the upshot is I spent a good part of the weekend on it, learned a lot, and have lessened the chances of WordPress messing me up.
So what did I do?
Someone said adding a line to the wp-config.php file could (in some cases) prevent automatic updates, so I did that. And I tried going back to my test site. But when I tried to access it I got the message “Forbidden”. When I looked the files on my hosting site the contents of the test site had completely disappeared. The data base was still there, but no WordPress files. And it happened over 90 days ago, so my backup service no longer has them. Yuck!!
I eventually remembered that years ago I had downloaded one of the backups, and I found the files I needed in a 2016 backup from my previous computer. I restored them on my hosting service, got some help connecting them to the data base, and it’s now working fine. I already tried updating my theme there and it worked fine, so I also updated it on cheerfulmonk. Somehow that fixed the comments problem…go figure.
Anyway, once I committed to spending the time to working on/playing with the problem it was mostly fun. The website for my hosting service has changed a lot, but their tech support was easy to reach and told me where things were now when I needed help. All in all it was an empowering experience.
How was your weekend?
November 2, 2020
oh my goodness.
or
GREAT SCOT and CAT HOUSE THURSDAY!
or holy moly. better you than me. or I or whatever!!!
nope. can’t say as it makes me happy. I guess it’s a good thing I’m no longer doing the peanut. it’s enough for me to endure their constant ‘updates’ on my PC! 😀
Updates can be such a pain! 🙁
Goodness, I am lost when it comes to this technical stuff. I didn’t even know this is WordPress, as it only says .com. You sure know your way around this kind of thing!
I have my own hosted blog using WordPress.org. I spent a long time when I first started, playing around and trying to get a look that I liked. It’s a relief to know I haven’t forgotten everything.
I don’t know what I would do if anything I use here, went AWOL…but then again, I’m mostly on a freebie blogs, so I don’t have much control.
I know that earlier last week, when I was trying to apply for a scholarship (finally did it) the online program said that the software file extn I was using wasn’t one….and it showed me a menu of what I could use…except I didn’t have any of the preferred software – SO everything had to be typed in again…
This last w/end ….well if you hop over to todays’ and yesterdays’ post you will see my WEEKEND was pretty diabolical. I’m getting better … but very “baby steps”
Yes, “baby steps”. Health problems suck. 🙁 Good luck!
It always feels good to figure something out…not sure I could have did this. I know I couldn’t have dealt with it lately, but at another time I might have. LOL But I actually think it is a bit beyond me…
But I am relieved it was only this and not something happening to you or Andy that was a close call.
Yes, we’re mostly pretty relaxed about problems when they don’t involve our health. This one bothered me at first because I knew there were a lot of details to keep in mind, but once I broke it down into manageable chunks a lot came back to me and I realized I wasn’t over my head and helpless. It was good mental exercise.
That would have me totally baffled. If they did updates that messed up my blog I would have no clue where to even begin to fix it.
You should be safe. If your site has problems so will gazillions of other Blogger sites, and Blogger will fix the problem.
I know when Windows 10 does an update I will have to spend a couple of hours reinstalling my paintshop pro software at setting up my prefernces again since Windows 10 always “loses it”. Then there’s this new version of blogger…
it’s good you found a backup file to restore your blog & now your comment section is working properly to boot!
Good luck with the new version of Blogger! I tested the latest WordPress on the test site last night and it worked fine, so I updated this site too, with no problems.
Let us know what you think of the new version. WordPress would like us to use their new editor, but I’m still using the old one thanks to a plugin. I looked at the new editor for a bit but it took forever to add a 130 kb picture. That doesn’t work for me, but I’ll give it more chances in my spare time.
You are clever enough and knowledgeable enough to deal with all that. I like to think I could handle all that but I’m also thinking – No way!
I spent hours and hours on this kind of thing in the past, and I’m glad I did. It was fun to figure things out, but it would be a waste of time for people who don’t enjoy it.
you done good! that was my first thought! 2n thought is you are the only blogger I know other than myself, that would say after you got into it, you enjoyed it. that happens to me. i get really upset when things go awry because of updates, but then i decide to conquer the problem and hours later realize how i enjoyed it. glad you figured it out. i like to see what pops up next here
Mostly I don’t even bother to get upset, I get curious right away. But lately it’s been one thing after another and I knew this would take a long time. On the other hand, I also knew once I got started I would get immersed and have fun. I also set up another test site/playpen to mess around with, when and if I feel like it. It would be nice to know which files are specific to the site and which are only specific to the present version of WordPress. Did I really need to find that 2016 backup?
I don’t have much disposable income, but would gladly pay someone else — ANYONE else to do that. Techniphobe, yep … my teeth ache, just thinking about it.
I can understand that! I pay Sucuri.net $5 plus tax a month to do daily backups. Some of the best money I’ve ever spent.
One reason I like simple Blogger.
I still have blogs I did years ago. With no doing anything special.
Yes, that’s an easier approach. Good luck with the changes they’re making.