Trying to change permalinks back to postname is not working (changed to plain in

Hi, sariee, & welcome.

So–could you please tell us:
1) Are you hosting using Linux or Windows?
2) Do you have shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting?
3) Is your webserver Apache, Nginx, or IIS?
4) Do you have caching on your site? If so, please clear it. Please also clear your browser’s cache.
5) Could we please see your .htaccess file? Please enclose it in `, ie,

line 1
line 2

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hi Jackie

Thank you very much for your reply. My apologies for the delay in responding. Before I saw your reply I had followed other advice to deactivate plugins and doing that gave me a 500 error and I couldn’t access anything at all for the last week. I felt stupid. I used a freelancer to fix that but he only offered to fix that bit, not the permalinks issue. So now I have access to the dashboard again, but the permalinks are still wrong and basically I’m too nervous to touch anything without advice….
Here’s my answers:

1= Linux
2= dedicated I think (we use a hosting provider and have access to a cpanel)
3= have seen references to Apache, so assuming Apache
4= have cleared browser cache. Sorry I don’t really understand if we have site cache or how I would clear it. Could you advise…
5= there now doesn’t seem to be one under the sub-directory where this WP installation is. There is a blank file “htaccess_”

What is supposed to happen if you go to settings and change permalinks? Am I safe to try again? Do I need to do anything before I do that?

Do I have to set up redirects? I am not fussed about losing any existing external links into this site as there shouldn’t really be any yet and have discourage seo on currently.

Can anyone recommend a proper, easy, reliable backup method for when I have it fixed, please?

Thank you in advance

Hello, sariee. Sounds like you’ve had a pretty rough go. I am so sorry.

Yes, please go back & change your permalinks to ‘post name’ & let’s see how things go.

A couple things, just FYI.
1) A dedicated server means you have your own server. They usually do not have a control panel, they cost a good bit of money (ie, $100 or more per month), & they require a considerable amount of technical expertise. From your description, I think you have shared hosting. That’s just in case you’re ever asked in future.

2) You can always post a job requesting help at:
https://jobs.wordpress.net
I can’t say that the freelancers there are any better (or worse) than those elsewhere, but I don’t think either the job poster or the freelancer pays anything to post or apply for work, so it may be an alternative to consider should you find yourself similarly situated again.

Please let us know how things are going. & please don’t feel stupid about anything. WordPress is wonderful in that it allows folks w/limited or no technical background to have a website, but it can be challenging indeed when things go wrong, as sometimes happens. Please keep in touch until this is resolved to your satisfaction.

It works! ?? permalinks are ok again.

I’d definitely had a confidence failure there, it just felt like anything I touched would break.

Thank you so much for your support!

OK, understand now about dedicated server, yes you are right, thank you. Helps to get my head around the terminology.

Thanks for number 2 also. I think I will find myself a freelancer I can turn to for techie stuff for a safety net. I just want to do the content really.

Right, now I’ll get a backup process in place and try and regain my confidence.

Thank you again, very much appreciated.

@sariee, now let’s discuss your question regarding a backup solution.

I’m going to talk to you as though you’re new to WordPress because you asked for that in your first post here. If it’s too basic, or you feel it’s condescending, please forgive–that is *not* my intent whatever.

There are 2 basic parts to a WordPress Website. The first is the files. These basically form the framework on which the site is built. The 2nd is the database, & it is here that user content as well as other information about the website is stored. That means all your posts, pages, & information about these such as author, time & date of publication, etc, live in the *database*, not the files, as some incorrectly believe.

The files that need backing up are:
1) Purchased plugins/themes; &
2) User content such as pictures, documents, videos (if on the website), music, etc.

You should likely already have these on your computer as well as on a backup drive. The remaining files can be downloaded from www.remarpro.com.

The database is the thing that needs to be backed up regularly, especially if content is added/changed frequently. This can be done either by a plugin or manually, & much depends on your preference regarding that. If you installed WordPress via your hosting provider’s control panel, there may also be an option to back up your site automatically. The key is, don’t forget to download those backups to your computer, because if the server gets taken out, then so do the backups. Many plugins will email you when a backup is completed, as likely will your hosting provider’s control panel if available.
That was pretty general because I don’t know your specifics. But perhaps it gave you a better understanding of how WordPress works in order to help you make a decision as to the best way going forward.

Please don’t hesitate to ask if you need further assistance, though I’d urge you to start a separate topic for that, as this 1 has been marked as ‘resolved’ & is therefore unlikely to be viewed if updated.

Hello Jackie

Many thanks again for this, much appreciated. I’ve got a lot to learn and so clear, reliable info is good, thank you. I had a rough idea about the files, but now I have found and downloaded a backup of the database too. Think I will install a backup plugin next though, to get me into a routine.

I will start another topic later, thanks, as I realised that in my excitement at getting the site and permalinks back, my original error which kicked off the saga is still happening. But I’ve just got an avalanche of other work right now, so it will have to wait a bit.

Cheers
Sariee

@sariee, can you tell us if this is this a single or a multisite installation?

Hi Jackie

It is a single site installation. (Our main website is not wordpress, but we do have two WPs in separate directories: our blog set up by someone else a long time ago, and then this new one)

Anyway I’m much happier today. Last night I did a manual backup of files & database. I’ve also installed Updraft and done a backup that way. I decided on doing both types of backups, having experienced not being able to get into the site at all.
Then I updated WordPress, updated our theme, updated all the plugins that needed it, including, nervously, the one that gave the horrible crash when I’d deactivated it.
Then I backed up again ??

And best of all I’ve just solved my original error with the sub-page!
Having experimented with other page & sub-page combinations I realised it was just one top level page that was the issue. Not really sure, but I think it must have been a conflict between a custom post type name or category name and the page slug name, because changing the slug made it work ok. If only I’d known it was that simple originally, sigh. Oh well, I’ve certainly learned a lot in the last couple of weeks and it was better to experience a crash at this early stage of development.

Many thanks again! It’s really good to know that there is support here. Though I’ll aim not to need it again for a while ??

Well, I hope you’ll at least find a way to let me know when you’ve got your blog up so I can look at it. I always like being able to go to the websites of those I’ve assisted to see what they’re up to.

Meanwhile, it’s amazing how updating can solve so many issues. I’m glad this is resolved now. Please do let us know if there’s anything more we can do to help. I have enjoyed working w/you a lot. You were always polite & cooperative, as well as clearly being interested in learning more about WordPress.