System Setup Required Error - no changes to site or server, was working fine JAN

Am getting System Setup Required error suddenly when I click on a 'buy me' button that normally takes me to the store/shopping cart. No changes have been made to website, store, or server since beginning of Jan, and the only changes at that time were updating some of the images only. Server PHP version has not changed - it is currently 5.3, but host now has available up to 5.6. Tried each PHP setting to see if that helped - No. Everything on site was working fine through end of Jan, but suddenly, with no new web file changes outside of updated images, it's wanting me to install zen cart again. Any ideas where to begin? If I re-install, will I need to go through the customizations again? I'm very stumped and do not know what would cause something to suddenly stop working. Thank you for any help.

Please post the entirety of the "error" message. Towards the bottom is usually information that is relatively helpful...

How do you know that there have not been any file changes?

As to how do I know there have not been any file changes, I am the only one that works on the site. That being said, how would I know if the site was hacked? Could someone remove files without login credentials, or can they figure out login? Anything is possible, as the only files that were changed by me were updating less than 1/2 dozen images. As far as being changed by anyone else, I'm certainly open as to how to double ensure that would never happen. Chatted with host support, and they have not made any server changes. Thank you!

ERROR MESSAGE:

Zen Cart®
Hello. Thank you for loading Zen Cart®.
You are seeing this page for one or more reasons:

This is your first time using Zen Cart® and you haven't yet completed the normal Installation procedure.
If this is the case for you, you will need to upload the "zc_install" folder using your FTP program, and then run zc_install/index.php via your browser (or reload this page to see a link to it).

Your /includes/configure.php and/or /admin/includes/configure.php file contains invalid path information and/or invalid database-connection information.
If you recently edited your configure.php files for any reason, or maybe moved your site to a different folder or different server, then you'll need to review and update all your settings to the correct values for your server.
Additionally, if the permissions have been changed on your configure.php files, then maybe they're too low for the files to be read.
Or the configure.php files could be missing altogether.
Or your hosting company has recently changed the server's PHP configuration (or upgraded its version) then they may have broken things as well.
See the Online FAQ and Tutorials area on the Zen Cart® website for assistance.
Additional *IMPORTANT* Details: includes/configure.php file contents invalid. ie: DIR_FS_CATALOG not valid or not set

To begin installation ...

The Installation Documentation can be read by clicking here: Documentation
You will need to upload the "zc_install" folder using your FTP program, and then run zc_install/index.php via your browser (or reload this page to see a link to it).
The Online FAQ and Tutorials area on the Zen Cart® website will also be of value if you run into difficulties.

Copyright © 2003-2016 Zen Cart®

Would suggest looking at the settings in the includes/configure.php for Additional IMPORTANT Details: includes/configure.php file contents invalid. ie: DIR_FS_CATALOG not valid or not set

Are you having a. Similar issue on the admin side? How does the DIR_FS_CATALOG for the two sides compare?

Yes, same issue with admin side. Am checking out the configure.php files for references to DIR_FS_CATALOG. The admin version of configure.php does not contain DIR_FS_CATALOG anywhere in the text. Should it have? I am not sure I understand what happened, as I have been able to get to admin with no issues since upgrading to 1.54 last year. Am still puzzled as to how this could have gotten changed, however, getting it resolved is first priority, then can backtrack further on the cause side.

Am struggling with comparing files - switched from PC to Mac, and WinMerge not available for Mac. TextWranger has a comparison feature, but am struggling with figuring it out and how to read results. If anyone has tips on good Mac file and folder compare, would appreciate it.

The zenstore/includes/configure.php refers on these lines (urls modified so as not to post):

// * DIR_FS_* = Filesystem directories (local/physical)
//the following path is a COMPLETE path to your Zen Cart files. eg: /var/www/vhost/accountname/public_html/zenstore/
define('DIR_FS_CATALOG', '/root/xxxx/xxxx/xxxx/domain/public_html/zenstore/');

//the following path is a COMPLETE path to the /logs/ folder eg: /var/www/vhost/accountname/public_html/store/logs ... and no trailing slash
define('DIR_FS_LOGS', '/root/xxxx/xxxx/xxxx/domain/public_html/zenstore/logs');

define('DIR_FS_DOWNLOAD', DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'download/');
define('DIR_FS_DOWNLOAD_PUBLIC', DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'pub/');
define('DIR_WS_UPLOADS', DIR_WS_IMAGES . 'uploads/');
define('DIR_FS_UPLOADS', DIR_FS_CATALOG . DIR_WS_UPLOADS);
define('DIR_FS_EMAIL_TEMPLATES', DIR_FS_CATALOG . 'email/');

Will it make things worse if I re-install by placing the zc_install folder in the zenstore folder? If this direction is ok to try, any advice on the re-install? The database name/path/pw are correct in the configure.php files. Last year, when I upgraded from 1.39 to 1.54, it was quite an event and many little bugs to overcome. Got lots of help from here, and I believe you also helped with many of my upgrade issues at that time. With all the help, was able to get all the customizations completed for 1.54 and went live live with no issues since that time till now. I do not know what to look at next. Thank you.

So, I wouldn't think that the reinstall would necessarily fix the issue, but at the moment I'm also drawing a blank on the fields necessary in the setup. I thought that they required the inforamtion that is in question and therefore wouldn't help. There's a command I've been meaning to look up that could be added to a file that should verify a proposed path to the files. The fact that the error message appears at all leads me to think that the general format of the configure.php files is fine, like there doesn't seem to be some mismatched characters, though the file was only provided in part and the same thing is happening on both the admin as well as store sides.

I've been away from access to a computer to easily be able to advise on specifics of some things.

Did you (or anyone else) make changes to the root .htaccess file? You may want to check that file.

sparrowce:

.... If I re-install, will I need to go through the customizations again?....

Yes, most definitely

Thanks for confirmation about customizations, I will try to avoid that route. I will check w/host and report back about .htaccess.

Found the answer in this thread: https://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?192593-Sudden-appearance-of-system-setup-required-page

Turns out the same thing happened to me, where the host / document root path changed. Modified configure.php to reflect their server new document path and all is well. Host said:

"confirmed with our technical specialists and they told that as part of our ongoing system maintenance, we sometimes add new devices to help improve the performance of customer websites. As a result of the new hardware, customer CGI scripts (Perl, PHP) and databases that use "real" directory paths may cease to work."

Am grateful the store is back up and running, and wanted to share this document path info in case it could be of use to someone else, or if anyone thinks it is worthy of adding to any troubleshooting documentation for this issue. Regards!

Couple of things related to that. Remember when the host says "we haven't changed anything" to take that with a grain of salt. 2) some hosts use a sort of load balancing technique of resolvng the requested file path to the server(s) of choice. To ensure the correct path, suggest asking the host what path for php should be used to prevent the same issue from occurring again. It was also this possibility that I was concerned with because I could have provided a query to show the path of the current server, but that may not be the ideal path for the host's configuration.

Thank you for the info, I will do that about php path.

This happens when the PHP version has been changed or the path was changed to mismatch what it's looking for in the configure/SQL database. I've fixed this AFTER backing up the site and current database... by unloading the DB, running the zc_install to rebuild a new one, then comparing old to new.

You'll actually see the difference if there is one in the SQL or configure files.

Once the correct settings are in the db and in the configure files everything will be as right as rain :)