Previous carts I've created have recognized "smart" characters and displayed them properly on the finished webpages. Also there was one version that allowed me to bypass the 15 minute timeout, which was VERY useful!! How can I add these features into the cart I'm currently working on? Thank you!

DK_Scully:

Previous carts I've created have recognized "smart" characters and displayed them properly on the finished webpages. Also there was one version that allowed me to bypass the 15 minute timeout, which was VERY useful!! How can I add these features into the cart I'm currently working on? Thank you!
Do you mean how to incorporate features of newer versions of Zen Cart into older version? I would call that to do an upgrade of the store. To what character encoding/symbols are you referring to regarding "smart" characters? The template also plays a factor in correct display. If the site is really 1.5.1, then it may have been upgraded from a previous version and the template not upgraded in parallel with it.

The timeout is under Configuration >> MyStore

dbltoe:

The timeout is under Configuration >> MyStore
The option to disable the timeout for the admin wasn't available until ZC 1.5.2 (not released for production use). The configuration_description says: PA-DSS Compliance requires that any Admin login sessions expire after 15 minutes of inactivity. <strong>Disabling this makes your site NON-COMPLIANT with PA-DSS rules, thus invalidating any certification.</strong>

mc12345678:

Do you mean how to incorporate features of newer versions of Zen Cart into older version? I would call that to do an upgrade of the store. To what character encoding/symbols are you referring to regarding "smart" characters? The template also plays a factor in correct display. If the site is really 1.5.1, then it may have been upgraded from a previous version and the template not upgraded in parallel with it.

This is a perfect example of how "smart quotes" (quotations and other punctuation that aren't pure ASCII) display using the Preston Elite template on version 1.51:

“Hello?” she called, entering the house. “Anyone home?”

The other carts I've created don't do that; the quotes come through as real quotation marks, etc.

Updating a shopping cart always scares the daylights out of me. I'm never sure I'm doing it right, and the consequences if I get even one tiny thing wrong are too horrible to consider.

mc12345678:

The option to disable the timeout for the admin wasn't available until ZC 1.5.2 (not released for production use). The configuration_description says: PA-DSS Compliance requires that any Admin login sessions expire after 15 minutes of inactivity. <strong>Disabling this makes your site NON-COMPLIANT with PA-DSS rules, thus invalidating any certification.</strong>

Trust me, it's worth being out of compliance (for whatever difference that really makes) for the convenience of not having to log in again all the time...and redo all the work I was doing...because the stupid thing timed out while I was fixing all the errors caused by my other issue, having to correct all the "smart" punctuation (that's what Word calls it, anyway...I have my own opinion...) to straight ASCII text in this particular shopping cart.

So if I upgrade to the newest version (gulp!) that will give me the option of disabling the timeout?

Google

Increasing the Admin timeout in Zen Cart

I knew upgrading would be a disaster!!

http://earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index.php - error message: "WARNING: An Error occurred, please refresh the page and try again.If you were entering information, press the BACK button in your browser and re-check the information you had entered to be sure you left no blank fields." How do I get rid of this and access the shopping cart again??

Are you following the guidance at https://www.zen-cart.com/entry.php?3-How-do-I-rebuild-my-site-on-the-new-version-instead-of-upgrading?

No, I followed the instructions in the docs folder included with the upgrade zip.

Check the site's /logs directory; there's a myDEBUG-*.log file that identifies what the issue is.

[26-Jul-2019 19:12:04 America/Chicago] Request URI: /studio/admin-1538838053/index.php, IP address: 97.103.136.248
#1 trigger_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:171]
#2 queryFactory->show_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:143]
#3 queryFactory->set_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:270]
#4 queryFactory->Execute() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php:153]
#5 AdminNotifications->pruneSavedState() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php:34]
#6 AdminNotifications->getNotifications() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index_dashboard.php:14]
#7 require(/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index_dashboard.php) called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index.php:26]
--> PHP Fatal error: 1146:Table 'boruma_zncr6.zc_admin_notifications' doesn't exist :: DELETE FROM zc_admin_notifications WHERE notification_key NOT IN ('square3v156') ==> (as called by) /home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php on line 153 <== in /home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 171.

Sorry, but I have absolutely no idea what to do with all that.

It "sounds like" you've specified (in your admin/storefront configure.php files) a DB_PREFIX of 'zc_' where the original store used a DB_PREFIX of ''.

Be sure to rename your admin directory name, since it's been posted as part of that log's information.

I haven't touched anything in the configure.php file. I touch the php files as little as possible because I never have understood php, and I never will.

Under admin-1538838053, there are only three directories: backups, images, and includes. And no configure.php file. Where's the file I need to modify? Under includes? I'm just trying to clarify because I don't want to screw this up even more than the upgrade process already did.

Check both the /admin/includes/configure.php and the /includes/configure.php to make sure that the DB_PREFIX constant is set to ''.

The good news is, I was able to find and modify both of those files. The bad news is, I keep getting an error when I try to upload the /includes file.
CuteFTP (or maybe the server) won't allow me to upload it. I was able to upload the admin-1538838053/includes/ file, though.

The CHMOD on /includes/ is 755. Do I need to change that...and then change it back?

What is the chmod on includes/configure.php ? Probably set to 0444, change it to 0644 and upload over it then change back to 0444

Okay, I did that and uploaded the file, then changed it back. Thanks for that.

Now I'm getting this error message: ERROR 0071: There appears to be a problem with the database. Maintenance is required.

And the log file says:

[26-Jul-2019 19:12:04 America/Chicago] Request URI: /studio/admin-1538838053/index.php, IP address: 97.103.136.248
#1 trigger_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:171]
#2 queryFactory->show_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:143]
#3 queryFactory->set_error() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php:270]
#4 queryFactory->Execute() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php:153]
#5 AdminNotifications->pruneSavedState() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php:34]
#6 AdminNotifications->getNotifications() called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index_dashboard.php:14]
#7 require(/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index_dashboard.php) called at [/home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/index.php:26]
--> PHP Fatal error: 1146:Table 'boruma_zncr6.zc_admin_notifications' doesn't exist :: DELETE FROM zc_admin_notifications WHERE notification_key NOT IN ('square3v156') ==> (as called by) /home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/admin-1538838053/includes/classes/AdminNotifications.php on line 153 <== in /home2/boruma/public_html/earcandyaudiobooks.com/studio/includes/classes/db/mysql/query_factory.php on line 171.

Nope, that's the same log that you posted earlier. The message you're receiving indicates that the database credentials are not correct.