Cannot Access Any Links on Admin > Configuration Menu

[Dianne]

Zen Cart v1.5.7
PHP v7.3
MySQL 5.5.62-38.14
Website URL: https://birddogsnguns.com

Hello! I have successfully moved zen cart from one server to a different server (in a different hosting account). I can see the website and go through the checkout process, so all looks well there.



I can login to the admin panel and access everything EXCEPT the Configuration Menu.



I made a mistake during the move that is probably causing the problem. Below is a description of that mistake and what I have done so far to try to fix it.


Mistake


After the move, I forgot to delete the OLD admin folder (the one zen cart created during installation).

This folder contains the exact same configuration files as the NEW admin folder (which is as it should be).


I accidentally logged into the OLD admin dashboard and put the website down for maintenance.
I realized my mistake and then logged into the correct, NEW admin dashboard.
That is when I discovered that I cannot access anything under the Configuration Menu.


In the meantime, the website was showing as "down for maintenance" (remember, both admin folders are connected to the same database).



Steps I've Taken to Correct

• I deleted the OLD admin folder and checked to be sure everything was still okay on the storefront and that I could still login to the NEW admin dashboard. Both were fine; however, I still could not access the Configuration Menu.
• I re-uploaded all the files for the NEW admin folder again (making sure I was using the correct config files in includes and in admin/includes). Still unable to access the Configuration Menu.
• I logged into PHPMyAdmin and dropped all the tables in the database and then imported the database again. Still unable to access the Configuration Menu.

Somewhere while doing the above steps, the website no longer shows as being "down for maintenance" (I did not make a note of which step).



I was able to add a new product and complete the checkout process. I clicked on random links under each of the Main Menu headings in the admin dashboard and was able to visit those pages. I just cannot access anything under the Configuration Menu. Clicking that link does nothing - you remain on the admin dashboard home page.



I restarted my computer and checked everything again. Same results.



I do not know what else to check or what other steps to try to resolve this problem.



I would appreciate any suggestions that would head me in the right direction.

[mc12345678]

Long and short of it is that zc_install to *UPGRADE* the database needs to be done.

[mc12345678]

For further explanation. Besides that the post provides really good information generally about the issue.

The zc_install process would involve uploading the zc_install directory from a fresh copy of the ZC software version that is otherwise installed.

Then access that folder and proceed to upgrade. If upgrade is not available, then likely there is some issue either with the folder placement or a few other reasons, but be descriptive again and that issue can be resolved.

Once the upgrade is complete, the configuration menu should be accessible.

As to the down for maintenance VS. Not, down for maintenance is a database controlled action. Most likely the database backup used to restore the tables was made while the store was NOT down-for-maintenance. Therefore when it was again restored, the site was not down-for-maintenance.

The only piece of the above information that I found not fully clear was how there were two admin folders in the store. The recommended procedure to do such an upgrade is to upgrade by rebuild which would involve having only one admin directory with that admin directory being from the current/new store. The presence of two admin directories to me means there is a possibility that files that existed in the old store that have been removed by the newer version may exist on the server and at some point in site operation may cause an issue. That wholly depends on how that process was performed (upgrade of the other files) and may also be a non-issue. More information would be needed to assess.

[Dianne]

Long and short of it is that zc_install to *UPGRADE* the database needs to be done.

Hello mc12345678 and thank you for your response. I'm sorry but I don't understand what you mean by "zc_install to *UPGRADE* the database". Do you mean to upload and run zc_install again? I deleted that folder when I completed the installation.

Are you saying to upload it and run zc_install process again?

As background, I should have included that when I moved, I followed the instructions here: https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/installing/change_hoster/

Thank you for anything more you can share to help clarify.

[Dianne]

Thanks! I will do that now.

[mc12345678]

Thanks! I will do that now.

If that still does not resolve the issue, then recommend reviewing the install logs in the logs folder looking for things that actually identify a problem ignoring those that say something like can not drop a field because it doesn't exist or can not insert something because it does exist... There is a possibility that other database changes could not be made because of some former/old default settings that are generally no longer acceptable...

[Dianne]

Thanks, mc12345678! I wanted to let you know that I have completed the process and everything is fine now. I ended up just starting over (deleting all the files and deleting the database). After looking into all the suggestions, I decided that was faster than trying to find a "needle in a haystack".

I also wanted to answer your question about the two admin folders because it may be good to address this in the instructions for moving a zen cart store (https://docs.zen-cart.com/user/insta...change_hoster/).

I followed the instructions for moving exactly as written. The instructions do not address the fact that zen cart, during install, is going to rename the admin folder to a name that is going to be different from the one in the files for the website that you are moving. The instructions do not say what to do about this, so if you are following those instructions, you are going to end up with two admin folders:

1. The one that comes with zen cart (and that gets renamed by zen cart during the install); and,
2. The one you are uploading when you upload your OLD files and overwrite the NEW files.

At that point, I didn't know if I should:

• Rename my admin folder before the upload, to match the one zen cart created
• Rename the one zen cart created to match the name of my folder, before the upload
• Proceed as instructed and then delete the now "extra" admin folder that came with the zen cart install

In this recent "do over", I elected to rename the zen cart folder to match the name I was already using on my OLD files. It worked perfectly and there was nothing to delete afterwards.

Thank you for your help. I did learn a lot from your answers, even though I decided to simply do it all over.

[DrByte]

An update has been made to the document, to draw attention to the two admin directory names.