Zend Optimizer

I dont know why I get this error.

Zend Optimizer not installed

This file was encoded by the Zend Guard. In order to run it, please install the Zend Optimizer (available without charge), version 3.0.0 or later.
Seeing this message instead of the website you expected?

This means that this webserver is not configured correctly. In order to view this website properly, please contact the website's system administrator/webmaster with the following message:

The component "Zend Optimizer" is not installed on the Web Server and therefore cannot service encoded files. Please download and install the Zend Optimizer (available without charge) on the Web Server.

Note: Zend Technologies cannot resolve issues related to this message appearing on websites not belonging to Zend Technologies.
What is the Zend Optimizer?

The Zend Optimizer is one of the most popular PHP plugins for performance-improvement, and has been available without charge, since the early days of PHP 4. It improves performance by scanning PHP's intermediate code and passing it through multiple Optimization Passes to replace inefficient code patterns with more efficient code blocks. The replaced code blocks perform exactly the same operations as the original code, only faster.
In addition to improving performance, the Zend Optimizer also enables PHP to transparently load files encoded by the Zend Guard.
The Zend Optimizer is a free product available for download from Zend Technologies. Zend Technologies also developed the PHP scripting engine, known as the Zend Engine.

Are you trying to install an encoded module?

I was just trying to access the dashboard and got a green screen with that message. It went away though... weird

anyone else have any input on this? having the same problem with a "Zend Optimizer not installed" green screen in the admin and the same error on the front end. shop has been up for 2+ years on a godaddy server :( running php 4.

any thoughts as to where to start???

thanks all!!

Since Zen Cart doesn't use anything which requires the Zend Optimizer, that means any errors you're seeing are a result of a problem with one or more addons you've installed.
Start with those.

yes, i believe imagehandler2 uses it- which we are using. can the files just become corrupt? would replacing the imagehandler files do anything? i cant access anything in the admin either.

If the problem "just happened" suddenly, then it's very possible that someone is doing rogue changes on your site without your knowledge. Treat it as though you've been hacked, esp if you're not using the latest version of Zen Cart, until you can prove to yourself otherwise: http://www.zen-cart.com/wiki/index.php/Recovering_From_Hacks

yeah, im hoping not. none of the files on the server seem to be altered or added. could it have messed up that much from messing around in the admin?

here is i link to the site:

https://www.idoruclothing.com

If you're running a version of Zen Cart older than v1.3.9 and haven't applied all the published security patches to it, then you're leaving yourself open and vulnerable ... whether the symptoms you just mentioned are related to that or not.

dpecsok:

yes, i believe imagehandler2 uses it- which we are using.

I have not seen any version of image handler that is encoded.

dpecsok:

yeah, im hoping not. none of the files on the server seem to be altered or added. could it have messed up that much from messing around in the admin?

here is i link to the site:

https://www.idoruclothing.comNo it can't happen because you messed around in the admin. And no it isn't Image Handler.

This can only happen because an encrypted file has been introduced onto your site and is trying to run.

Some hackers encrypt their work to obscure what it's doing, and since Zend Optimiser is frequently installed by default, their code works fine in most cases.

As DrByte suggested above, you should treat your site as hacked, especially if it just "happened suddenly", without you introducing any code that could have caused it.

I get that this is not the answer you want. But it's the only one on offer. However, the good news is that your clean up may not be too bad if the absence of Zend Optimiser has prevented malware from executing.

It's hard to tell what could be the reason. There are some third party companies that produce Zen Cart modules which use Zend Optimizer such as MagneticOne. Without knowing what modules you are running it is hard to say.

I had face similar problem before which was due to calling Zend Optimizer version in php configuration. Once the Zend Optimizer on the server was updated to a new version the site wouldn't load.

If this isn't the case then you could of been hacked.

yes i beleive my clients are using a magnetic one plugin for SEO urls. maybe that was what i needed to have the zend optimizer for... but that was a while back. ive cruized through the files on the server and havent found any "new files" sitting on there like there usually is when when ive seen sites that have hacked before. im not disagreeing that it has been compromised, but shouldnt there be some foreign (or altered) new files if it was? is it possible godaddy made changes to the server?

There may be a clue in paragraph two of CoolCarPartsOnline's helpful post.

I've had trouble with MagneticOne modules on clients' sites too. They often do clever things, but in really dumb ways that don't play nicely with better-structured Zen Cart mods (and even the core code).

But some advice on checking for hacks. Cruising the file system just isn't enough. You need to break out the file comparison software and due a full comparison against a trusted backup and/or check the FTP logs for unexplained activity.

dpecsok:

anyone else have any input on this? having the same problem with a "Zend Optimizer not installed" green screen in the admin and the same error on the front end. shop has been up for 2+ years on a godaddy server :( running php 4.

any thoughts as to where to start???

thanks all!!
Start with your Hoster!

Zend Optimizer is Server software. That plus the fact you are on a GoDaddy Server -- which we know runs their Servers in really odd ways -- plus PHP 4 is being used, it could be they finally decided to upgrade PHP, which also means touching Zend, but things went wrong.

thanks all! will be contacting my HOST and checking the ftp logs for strange activity.

thanks all for your help! talked with godaddy and they made a change as to how Zend Optimizer is looked for (or something like that) . not hacked!! checked the server and ftp logs for that.

To debug what might cause the Zend Optimizer Screen, what do I need to look for within the code?

jbarrick:

To debug what might cause the Zend Optimizer Screen, what do I need to look for within the code?
Anything that didn't come in the original Zen Cart files. ie: your addons, especially the commercial ones.