Error 500 when sending mass emails

I have looked through the forum for my issue - thought I found a solution here, and went to admin> configuration> my store> and changing the cURL proxy status to "false". This didn't help. My domain is not set up with GoDaddy, but it's a sister company, I guess, called domainnameroundup.

I'm trying to send out a newsletter to my 230 customers. When I hit send, it hangs and I get the 500 internal error. When I created my website over a year ago, I made a fake name to test things. My fake name gets the newsletter. But, I made a new fake name about an hour ago, and that one didn't get the newsletter. So, I'm assuming that only the first few customers that signed up, are actually getting it.

After some research, I found that I needed to check my debug log files. There are a bunch and they all say the same thing:

"PHP Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in D:\Hosting\2173582\html\ipn_main_handler.php on line 186"

So, I check my ipn_main_handler.php file on line 186, and this it what it says:

if (ipn_get_stored_session($session_stuff) === false) {
ipn_debug_email('IPN ERROR :: No pending Website Payments Standard session data available. Might be a duplicate transaction already entered via PDT.');
$ipnFoundSession = false;

Like I said, after trying to figure this out, I set the cURL thing to false. And tried the newsletter again. Same issue. Should I set it back to true?

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say that I'm a level 2 in knowing what I'm doing. I need serious help because I don't want to screw something up.
Please advise with step-by-step instructions. I'm desperate.

Lissa

My website is plasticcanvascreations.com, if that helps.

As far as curl - you need to get with your host and determine what settings they require

As far as 500 error see this tutorial
http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?105-why-am-i-getting-500-internal-server-error

I checked with my hosting company and they said to keep the cURL to false.
They also had me create a php.ini file in my root directory containing this message: max_execution_time 200
They said to then recycle the appol? I don't know what that means, but I tried sending the newsletter again and it still hung/timed out.

I also forgot to mention that I cleaned up my debug log files, in zen cart admin.

Host also suggested that I switch from Windows to Linux, same as the zen-cart forums say.
If I do this, will I have to change anything with my zencart database? Do I just load files and restore and everything will work the same?

trying to send out a newsletter to my 230 customers
Most hosts limit the number of emails that can be sent
Your allowance is provided to allow you to do business NOT advertising which is what a news letter is

You might look at "mailchimp" as a service

If I do this, will I have to change anything with my zencart database
The DB server, the db name, the db user & the db pass will most likely change

Thanks for the database info. As far as the newsletter, I used to send them without a problem. Plus, the customers who are to receive it, are signed up for it. I will also call the host again, to see if there is a send limit.

Out of the 230 customers, I got a reply from customers #28 and #31 who said they've received the newsletter. I went in again and chose the option to send newsletter to the last 25 customers that have signed up in the last 3 months. When I sent it, I got the confirmation screen, but I also got the newsletter to one of my fake names - one that I signed up with when I opened it (#7 on the list - signed up October of last year) UGH!

I'm still not getting anywhere with the issue. Are you unable to help by looking at what I pasted from line 186 of the php file?

Maybe the error logs have nothing to do with my problem. There were no logs for today. Maybe they have something to do with customer purchases.

There is nothing wrong with the PHP code you posted. It simply confirms the same thing that your newsletter problem is indicating: your emails are being blocked because the email engine on your server isn't accepting messages from you. Probably because you sent too many in too short a time.
The message about the ipn_main_handler file simply shows that when it was trying to send an email it failed to do so ... again probably for the same reasons as your newsletter issues.
*
Moving this out of the Bug Reports section because it's not a Zen Cart bug.*

The issues you are raising in this thread actually have nothing to do with zencart, and everything to do with your hosting.

As Kobra said, hosts now LIMIT the quantity of email messages that can be "bulk-sent"... So you can do NOTHING in zencart to change this.

Your host has also put you on a windoze server, but indicates they can move it to Linux. So why are you asking HOW they will do this (and what effect it has) on the zencart forum? You need to put these questions to your hosting company.

Finally, if you want to send out bulk email, then you need to use services like mailchimp. There is an OPENSOURCE program called POMMO which we install on some of our clients' sites, which meets accepted standards of bulk emailing.

Agreed that bulk emails should be sent through a services, but 230 isn't a great amount. Install this to queue them so they don't go out all at once and you should be fin
https://www.numinix.com/zen-cart-modules/admin/newsletter-queue-dl-777

I talked to my hosting provider. That is the problem - I can only send to 100 people at a time. Even after talking on the phone and telling them my problem, they never mentioned email message limits. I emailed them today and asked the direct question - I got my answer. Thanks for your help you guys :)

Since this thread got moved, I didn't get email notifications of the latest replies, sorry.

schoolboy - I was really wondering about the things I'd need change in zencart, if I switched it to Linux. And the reason I asked? Because I don't know these things.

I will check into POMMO and the link that mprough suggested - thanks.

lissa:

Host also suggested that I switch from Windows to Linux, same as the zen-cart forums say.
If I do this, will I have to change anything with my zencart database? Do I just load files and restore and everything will work the same?
Complete answer found here: http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?142-i-want-to-move-my-zen-cart-installation-to-another-host-or-a-different-server

Perfect. Just what I needed. Thanks!

lissa:

I will check into POMMO and the link that mprough suggested - thanks.

POMMO is not very well supported by its original developer, but it works. It needs a few code "tweaks" to cater for deprecated PHP elements, but these are quick and easy to do.

If you host your site with a decent service, they would probably install it for you and get it functional. Your current host would never do this...