No backup, Just spins

Similar problem.
using version 3.4.3. my back up is only a file sql and I do not have back up of my content.
Now I have a 500 internal error of my website and I need the total back up !

What can I do?

Sadly there is nothing either of us can do. There is no support here.

I’m going to start looking for a backup plugin that actually works

Would be great to hear if 3.5 fixes this for you!

Well, we’re getting there. It now runs on 2 out of 5 of my websites.

On the other 3, after clicking run now, it spins, says starting backup, runs for only 3 or 4 seconds before stopping and no backup is made (i use manual backup, backing up both files and database)

Same problem here.
Thank god I tried to check my backups before I did something. My backups stopped working since 29-Feb-2016. Thats the last date of my automated backups.

Version 3.5 doesn’t provide some kind of fix

Hey there @fromenglandwithlove and also @ioannisa

I’m sorry for the delay in checking back in – I was wondering, if you are still having trouble, whether you had done any additional troubleshooting yet?

Our basic troubleshooting is our first line of defense and usually helps us pinpoint the trouble.

Try following some of these tips to see if we can help isolate the issue you’re having:

• can you run a database-only backup?
• what about a files-only backup?
• try to exclude your /wp-content/uploads folder, then run a manual backup. Does this work? If so, we know the size of your backup is probably hanging up your server.
• If you can, try disabling all other plugins, and switch to a default theme if possible as plugin conflicts can occur. Does that help?
• Can you check with your host about enabling the MySQLDump Command and/or the Unix Zip Command?
• How about proc_open? That’s a php function needed for the fallback functions if you aren’t able to use the other options. What’s your host say about disabled or blocked functions?

It’s very likely you’re having trouble because of your server/host timing out and/or limiting resources. Running through this troubleshooting is a great way to see where the problem is.

Thanks for your patience!
Kat

I dont know if this helps, what I did was login to the file manager/ftp directory of my hosting then go to wp-content/backupwordpress-xxxxx-backups

I then go to the wordpress admin page and click on Tools/Backup and Run Backup manually (Run Now)

I then go to my file manager/ftp directory and refresh the page, I then see 2 files get created

backup-XXX-running
XXXXXXX

Now if I refresh I can see the XXXXX file size changing (when you are on the worpdress plugin page it shows the approx size) so I just wait for it to finish and then press refresh, now the 2 files are

backup-XXX-running
XXX-XXX-1461259607-database-xxxx.zip

now I just delete the
backup-XXX-running

and refresh the wordpress plugin page.

It shows the backed up file and the spinning has stopped

I have disabled the scheduled backups

That’s a creative way around the issue. The actual issue you’re describing is that the process is timing out at the end of the backup creation process. As a result, even if the backup itself is finished, the code doesn’t see that it is finished and continues trying to run, even though the server has prevented the backup from ‘completing’ – it’s like a loop.

We have we’re working on to hopefully address this, but in the meantime you can try addressing the underlying problem by changing settings in the php,ini file on your server.

In your php.ini (If you’re not sure how to make changes to your php.ini, your host may have more information to help you.) try making sure the following values are set to at least these minimums. If you have a large site think of increasing them further. (Contact your host to find out if they enforce PHP or CPU max timeouts).

– memory_limit = 256M
– max_execution_time = 120
– max_input_time = 120

As long as there are no hard limits on your server and the CPU keeps up, changing those settings would be the best way to help the plugin run more efficiently.

Let me know if that helps at all.
Kat

In my case it’s 100% a plugin clash issue.

I’ve turned off all plugins except backupwordpress and it worked today.

I’ve had the same plugins for years, so it must be being caused by a recent update to another plugin I’m using.

I’ll get back to you when I find out which one is causing the chaos, as I have a lot of plugins to go through lol.

Thank you! Definitely update us once you figure it out – I’m sure it will help other users!

Thanks,
kat

Yeah, my best working version was 3.4.5. The new ones like 3.6 didn’t work. 3.6.1 works on my smaller sites. But not the ones that are only ~200mb.

Hey there @treeflips – if you could open a new ticket that would be great. Even though the problem sounds the same it’s possible that your issue is caused by something else, especially since the original poster probably had a plugin conflict.

Thanks!
Kat