Multi site Warning: An existing WordPress network was detected.

If there’s nothing you need to keep on your site, delete the DB and start over.

Hi @mika,

I did that. And I got everything up again with out the errors… but I am still getting :

Warning: An existing WordPress network was detected when I try to instal the mult site.

well I mean,

I deleted all my files threw the FTP using cyber duck.. Is that enough or is there something more I have to do with my Cpanel?

Warning: An existing WordPress network was detected when I try to instal the mult site.

??
-naomi

You have to delete the database too ??

Oh okay, it is actually not my set up… the database.. so I am looking into it… just wondering… I thought I would give it another go and it gave me the network was not successful, check to see if blog.php file was created and that table are abled … the blog file was not created… does this also lead to the only option being: delete the database ??

There are at least two alternatives to deleting the existing database, but let’s just get you back to the login loop and fix that.

Forget the database for now. Use your wp-config that had the network installed: ie.

define(‘WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE’, true);
//define(‘WP_ALLOW_REPAIR’, true);
define(‘MULTISITE’, true); # can be used to FLIP between single and network
define(‘SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL’, true);
define(‘DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘domain.tld’);
define(‘PATH_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘/’);
define(‘SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1);
define(‘BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1);

Please share your lines above but with ‘your-domain-name.com’ privatized like the example above

Hi Derrick, Thank you for your responds. If i understand you. You are asking me for what the ‘Create a Network of WordPress Sites’ is asking me to add to the config file witch is :

define(‘MULTISITE’, true);
define(‘SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL’, false);
define(‘DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘omnivisiontest.com’);
define(‘PATH_CURRENT_SITE’, ‘/’);
define(‘SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1);
define(‘BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE’, 1);

The /cms folder that the first site was originally in no longer exists. …if this is config you are asking for??

If you want your WP in a subfolder of public, just get busy, create the folder, and move the WP files there. Use whatever folder name you want. /blog or /wpress or /whatever so that you have:

/public/whatever/wp files .php
                 /wp-admin/...
                 /wp-content/...
                 /wp-includes/...

Using your web control panel, will be faster than using FTP.

It sounds like you might have an old siteurl in the database, which we should be able to change without manually editing the db.

The above lines you can add to your config. They look good for what you want to do. Let us know what folder name you choose, and when you have the files/folders moved or set up to your liking.

Well that part doesn’t really matter to me… in regards to …the sub folder or not. It can stay were it is as long as I can get the network working… how do you change the old site url?

If you are happy with the current physical WP install folder, flip from Network mode back to single mode in wp-config.

define('MULTISITE', false); # FLIP btw single and network

Also add these to test if siteurl in the db is the problem. If WP is installed in its own subfolder, append the path to that subfolder to those below, without trailing slash. The idea with these paths is to point them to the location of the WP index.php that you use to ‘run’ WP.

define('WP_HOME','https://omnivisiontest.com');
define('WP_SITEURL','https://omnivisiontest.com');
/**** That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. ****/

Above from WP doc Changing Site URL
Confirm you can login, and then you will make the ‘test’ changes to siteurl permanent.

So yes I was able to get it. Do you think I should try again with the set up? Or what is the next step?

Are you comfortable with, and can you connect phpMyAdmin to your database? If not, what database tools do you have access to? Do you want to learn, so recovery in the future is easier?

Next step would be to make the ‘home and siteurl’ changes in the database. This will be so that if you have to ever flip back to Single mode, the req’d db values will be accurate. Use methods in above WP doc Changing Site URL. If you can’t follow that post back.

While you’re in the db, prepare for Network mode, run the below sql
SELECT meta_value FROM wp_sitemeta WHERE meta_key = 'siteurl' LIMIT 1;, and
SELECT domain FROM wp_site LIMIT 1;

This former will probably contain the “old non-existent” folder. If any are wrong, change them to the location of your WP index.php. Awaiting your next post.
ps. Please post with a little more specific descriptions. We are having to guess what things like “able to get it” means ??

Sorry I know I have a funny use of language at times. I meant I was able to log back into the WP. I understand changing the site URL I did this to get it out of the cms folder it use to be in.

I went into the cpanel then into the phpMyadmin .. I do not know if it is connected but looks like the WP files are listed. Databases like I mentioned are beyond me but yes I do want to learn.

So what I understand the next step you are suggesting is in the phMyAdmin in the database go to SQL and add this code? what does this code do? Also there are five databases that have been set up. I am working on one. Will this SQL code effect them?

The above sql code would only change the current db you’d be looking at. You’re right, running sql is hard to visualize, so use phpMyAdmin ‘browse’ to confirm/update the following:
table wp_site

• should only have 1 record
• if needed, edit fields domain and path
• ie. domain “domain.tld”, and path “/”

table wp_blogs

• focus on record with blog_id equal 1 for now
• if needed, edit fields domain and path

table wp_sitemeta

• find meta_key ‘siteurl’ usually meta_id 14
• ‘siteurl’ has to be the URL to your physical WP install without trailing slash
• ie. if WP installed in domain root, then this is just a link to your domain, but if WP is installed in its own subfolder, append the path to that folder

Once db fields are corrected, confirm wp-config has the lines reflecting a Network was not just enabled, but installed (~6 lines)
Login to /wp-admin/network/

Hey Derrick,

That seemed really promising because there were many site url pointing to the old cms folder. I made the correction on the wp_sitemeta table wp_blog and wp_site .. I still got the, Warning: An existing WordPress network was detected. .. looking again I found another url in the wp_post … but I am still getting the Warning. … what our options now? Is deleting the database all that is left?