Help Please - need help with .htaccess file

[timb22]

These are my error logs

[Mon Apr 06 13:39:30 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:39:29 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:38:46 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:38:45 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:38:15 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:38:14 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:30 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:29 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:09 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:09 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:03 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54
[Mon Apr 06 13:37:03 2015] [error] [client 172.56.33.89] client denied by server configuration: /home/a690527/public_html/images/isimages/isimages, referer: http://seductiveadults.com/index.php...ex&cPath=16_54

I'm seeing a 500 (internal server error) not a 404. Do you have access to the server error logs (what do they list)? The server error logs will indicate the cause of the internal server error (unless the host has disabled logging errors).

Most common causes will be:

• Wrong .htaccess file was modified / replaced
• Server does not have mod_rewrite enabled
• Server does not allow mod_rewrite directives in .htaccess files (overly paranoid security)
• Server has disabled other items (such as follow symbolic links) causing mod_rewrite to fail
• Server is using some sort of internal proxy or REWRITE to access the web root (cheap shared hosting plans often do this often for "secondary" domains)

For the first "guess"... Was the original .htaccess file in the SAME folder as the Zen Cart installation? For example "/public_html/.htaccess"? Or was the original / modified .htaccess file in a parent folder (outside the public web root)?

For the rest may want to ask your hosting provider to investigate the cause. The middle three you cannot fix (only a server administrator can). The last one is something one can create a "workaround" specific to the hosting environment to address... But one would know more details about the server configuration.


P.S. The lines from your original .htaccess file look suspiciously close to the .htaccess file used by cPanel w/ "optimize server" enabled (note this file is usually located outside the web root on server's w/ cPanel - not inside the folder where Zen Cart is installed). As per the Ultimate URLs installation instructions the supplied .htaccess file goes in the same folder where Zen Cart is installed (or is merged with any existing .htaccess file in the same folder where Zen Cart is installed).

[lhungil]

Note the following:

###############################################################################
# Redirect if request was for index.php (with or without query)
###############################################################################
# Notes:
#
# This is a performance optimization. If the request is for index.php simply
# pass the request on and do not process any other mod_rewrite directives in
# this file.
#
# Basically this avoids the overhead of checking if index.php is a real file
# or directory (used in subsequent mod_rewrite rules) before sending the
# request to index.php.
###############################################################################
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]

It performs an action on index.php whether there is something that follows it or not... Then stops processing all the rules below it...

And that is exactly the intended behavior. An alternative URL generated by Ultimate URLs does NOT contain index.php, so no processing should be preformed and the URI request should complete as requested.

[lhungil]

... The .htaccess file is the original file that came with the install in my root directory outside of public_html ...

Do not change the .htaccess file located outside the public_html folder. This file is used internally by cPanel (and WHM) to manage various account settings. Please revert the original file at "/.htaccess".

As per the Ultimate URLs installation instructions you should be working with the .htaccess file located in the folder where you installed Zen Cart (in your case "/public_html/.htaccess"). If no file is present at that location, just add the one supplied by Ultimate URLs.

[timb22]

WOW, I'm a moron. That was it. It's working beautifully. YOUR AMAZING, Thank you so much

Do not change the .htaccess file located outside the public_html folder. This file is used internally by cPanel (and WHM) to manage various account settings. Please revert the original file at "/.htaccess".

As per the Ultimate URLs installation instructions you should be working with the .htaccess file located in the folder where you installed Zen Cart (in your case "/public_html/.htaccess"). If no file is present at that location, just add the one supplied by Ultimate URLs.

[lhungil]

That was it. It's working beautifully. ... Thank you so much

You are welcome! I am glad the resolution was relatively painless (once the cause was identified).

You may want to read over the official support thread for Ultimate URLs. I (and others) answer questions over there (time permitting). The thread also will list any known bugs (along with interim fixes a user can apply) for the most recent version. If you have installed Ultimate URLs 2.215 there is one known bug at this time (the fix is posted in the support thread).

Also be sure to keep up on known Zen Cart bugs and patches (you can subscribe on the forums here). I've provided links to the applicable forum threads in the Ultimate URLs documentation (at time of writing).