I had a site I like to read get taken down….so I offered to host them. I was ready for a challenge but I had no idea how big of a challenge I was in for.
It started off as a problematic endeavor. The client had been locked out of his account via his web host. Working with another person who works with this client we got the database dumped and the website files. Uploading the files failed a number of times leading me to figure I had problems on my end so I went ahead and did an operating system upgrade on my hosting machine. With that completed the uploading issues were mainly conquered. I then got to work getting this WordPress site back online. With the website files also in my possession I uploaded everything to the server. The database refused to initialize with errors about sql syntax. I then had to go into the database files and hand edit several tables to point to my server instead of the old web host’s server infrastructure. With the database restored the site came online but with only the main page functional. I had to dive into the database and disable all of the installed plugins from the database to get the site to allow the admin dashboard to come online. With admin access restored I had the client create me an admin account so I could get into the site and continue working.
With me now able to access the site from the admin panel I was able to find the rest of the issues. There were still permissions problems with some of the website files which quickly got fixed. I then had to deactivate the security plugin that was freaking out because it got moved without being deactivated. I killed the security plugin and removed it. I then reactivated all of the other plugins except one that was installed by the previous web host. That one got removed as well. A few more clicks of cleanup and then I installed the Wordfence security plugin. With this configured I now have the site mostly working where I feel it should be. There is still some code from the previous web host lurking so their logo is still lurking around the admin panel. While it is not causing any issues I am determined to nuke it.
So now for the burning questions. Who was the previous web host and who is this client I spent more than 6 hours on getting to work? The old web host was godaddy.com. I used to use them for my domains and my web hosting but I dropped them because of their aggressiveness in taking not only sites but entire domains and accounts offline. I also had to spend weeks hunting through my personal site getting their code that they inject into every WordPress site out of it so as not to be advertising them when I had moved myself from their platform. This is one reason I started my own hosting business. Not many web hosts would spend the time I did manually working with a site making sure it was online. Many would throw their hands up and say it isn’t our problem talk to your host about making the files not specific to them. I believe in serving my clients. I had no idea if I could get this working but I kept at it. Now I not only have a new client but I am getting a ton of appreciation for the hard work I put in to get this site back online within 36 hours of being taken down by an overzealous web host.
The new client is Ryan Miner’s site A Miner Detail.