Title: ERROR 500 &#8211; INTERNAL SERVER ERROR
Last modified: April 7, 2019

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# ERROR 500 – INTERNAL SERVER ERROR

 *  Resolved [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/)
 * Please ignore the url at the moment. I have directed my domain name to another
   page at the moment because my WordPress installation is broken and I link to 
   my site on my cv. Hence I am in the process of putting a holding page on there
   for now.
    My domain expired and I realised a few weeks later. I contacted my 
   hosting provider and had it set up again but the next time I tried to use my 
   site I got the message: ERROR 500 – INTERNAL SERVER ERROR. I followed every tutorial
   I could find and over the last week I have tried: Changing plugin names, removing
   plugins, renaming .htaccess, removing all my wordpress files and adding them 
   again from a back-up and then finally downloading a clean version of wordpress,
   deleting my database and adding a new one and trying a completely fresh install.
   I get exactly the same error as soon as I try to log in to my wordpress site.
   I have cleared my cache and tried different browsers. The only network error 
   is with the wp-login page.
 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Ferror-500-internal-server-error-55%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US)
   to see the link]_

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

 *  Moderator [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/)
 * (@macmanx)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401565)
 * Internal server errors (error 500) are often caused by plugin or theme function
   conflicts, so if you have access to your Dashboard, try deactivating all plugins.
   If you don’t have access to your Dashboard, try [manually resetting your plugins](https://wordpress.org/support/article/faq-troubleshooting/#how-to-deactivate-all-plugins-when-not-able-to-access-the-administrative-menus)(
   no Dashboard access required). If that resolves the issue, reactivate each one
   individually until you find the cause.
 * If that does not resolve the issue, try switching to the Twenty Nineteen theme
   to rule-out a theme-specific issue. If you don’t have access to your Dashboard,
   access your server via [SFTP or FTP](https://wordpress.org/support/article/ftp-clients/),
   or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel (consult your hosting
   provider’s documentation for specifics on these), navigate to /wp-content/themes/
   and rename the directory of your currently active theme. This will force the 
   default theme to activate and hopefully rule-out a theme-specific issue.
 * If that does not resolve the issue, it’s possible that a .htaccess rule could
   be the source of the problem. To check for this, access your server via SFTP 
   or FTP, or a file manager in your hosting account’s control panel, and rename
   the .htaccess file. If you can’t find a .htaccess file, make sure that you have
   set your SFTP or FTP client to view invisible files.
 * If you weren’t able to resolve the issue by either resetting your plugins and
   theme or renaming your .htaccess file, we may be able to help, but we’ll need
   a more detailed error message. Internal server errors are usually described in
   more detail in the server error log. If you have access to your server error 
   log, generate the error again, note the date and time, then immediately check
   your server error log for any errors that occurred during that specific time 
   period. If you don’t have access to your server error log, ask your hosting provider
   to look for you.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401630)
 * Hi,
    Thanks for your response. I was unable to access my dashboard so I had performed
   all of the steps above via cpanel and ftp before posting the question here. The
   only error log I had listed that the paths for just about everything were wrong.
   As I say – I even started again with an entirely new installation and again I
   performed all the steps you mentioned and I still had the same error. I wasted
   a lot of time on this issue and I have given up for now and I am using plain 
   old html now for my page. I haven’t time for something that doesn’t work and 
   doesn’t report what is actually wrong. I used dev tools as well to try to locate
   the problem, but the error was not defined any further than the 500 error. What
   would be good is if the actual problem were able to be traced by the user.
 *  Moderator [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/)
 * (@macmanx)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401697)
 * > The only error log I had listed that the paths for just about everything were
   > wrong.
 * It’s hard to know how to proceed without seeing the quoted errors.
 * > the error was not defined any further than the 500 error. What would be good
   > is if the actual problem were able to be traced by the user.
 * That’s what the server error log is for. 500s are reported by the server, not
   WordPress, therefore they are recorded in the server error log.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401724)
 * The logs referred to a list of plugins which I disabled but this made no difference
   and when I deleted my installation and started again from the scratch I had the
   same errors. Any residual issues should have been resolved at that point. I worked
   on it with my hosting provider who disabled the plugins also but all to no avail.
   The logs were useless as the plugins they referred to had no relevance to my 
   installation.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401737)
 * I can attach one of the earlier logs if you would like to see it – but it is 
   the one before I did the clean install.
    It’s huge but here is a snippet: These
   options need to match in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:41 UTC] PHP Warning:
   PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library ‘/opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-
   debug-non-zts-20090626/ixed.5.5.lin’ – /opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-
   non-zts-20090626/ixed.5.5.lin: cannot open shared object file: No such file or
   directory in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:41 UTC] PHP Warning: PHP Startup:
   Unable to load dynamic library ‘/opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-
   20090626/pdo.so’ – /opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo.
   so: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory in Unknown on line
   0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:41 UTC] PHP Warning: PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic
   library ‘/opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo_mysql.so’–/
   opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo_mysql.so: cannot open
   shared object file: No such file or directory in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019
   19:28:41 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Directive ‘allow_call_time_pass_reference’ is 
   no longer available in PHP in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:47 UTC] PHP
   Warning: PHP Startup: imagick: Unable to initialize module Module compiled with
   module API=20090626 PHP compiled with module API=20121212 These options need 
   to match in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:47 UTC] PHP Warning: PHP Startup:
   Unable to load dynamic library ‘/opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-
   20090626/ixed.5.5.lin’ – /opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/
   ixed.5.5.lin: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory in Unknown
   on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:47 UTC] PHP Warning: PHP Startup: Unable to load
   dynamic library ‘/opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo.
   so’ – /opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo.so: cannot 
   open shared object file: No such file or directory in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-
   2019 19:28:47 UTC] PHP Warning: PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library ‘/
   opt/php53/lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo_mysql.so’ – /opt/php53/
   lib/php/extensions/no-debug-non-zts-20090626/pdo_mysql.so: cannot open shared
   object file: No such file or directory in Unknown on line 0 [05-Apr-2019 19:28:
   47 UTC] PHP Fatal error: Directive ‘allow_call_time_pass_reference’ is no longer
   available in PHP in Unknown on line 0
 *  Moderator [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/)
 * (@macmanx)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11401794)
 * All of those errors refer to not being able to initialize specific PHP modules
   required by WordPress, they aren’t errors regarding the WordPress installation
   itself, and they don’t reference any WordPress plugins.
 * In short, all of this is happening before WordPress can even run.
 * It looks like you, or your hosting provider, may need to recompile PHP.
 * Make sure you’re on at least PHP 5.6, though 7.2 is recommended.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11402780)
 * Thanks James- can you explain why it was working right up until I had to renew
   my domain?
 *  Moderator [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/)
 * (@macmanx)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11404971)
 * I cannot, no. That should have no bearing on WordPress or your server’s PHP configuration.
   I suspect a coincidence, probably something changed in the server’s PHP configuration
   during the few weeks your domain was expired.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11405517)
 * I know it didn’t James – my hosting provider is also my friend and he would have
   told me that. He is also very experienced and would have picked up something 
   like that straight away. WordPress installs with no issues and it is only when
   I went to the login screen that the server error appeared – hence it would seem
   to be on the WordPress end of things.
    Interestingly I added the linked to WordPress
   installation from cpanel at one point and it worked – it’s only when I log in
   with the manual installation that I have an issue – bearing in mind that it tells
   me it is successful prior to login.
    -  This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/).
 *  Moderator [James Huff](https://wordpress.org/support/users/macmanx/)
 * (@macmanx)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11405590)
 * I understand that your hosting provider is your friend, but I hope you can also
   understand that I have roughly 15 years of experience in this matter.
 * Experience or not though, it doesn’t change the fact that all of the errors you
   listed refer to not being able to initialize specific PHP modules required by
   WordPress, they aren’t errors regarding the WordPress installation itself, and
   they don’t reference any WordPress plugins.
 * It looks like you, or your hosting provider, may need to recompile PHP.
 * Make sure you’re on at least PHP 5.6, though 7.2 is recommended.
 *  Thread Starter [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * (@mrpicouk)
 * [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11405608)
 * Hi
    Thanks for your help – my reference to him being my friend was to tell you
   we worked together closely on this issue. He has over 30 years of experience 
   in this field. I also have many years IT experience and I work as a software 
   developer.
 * There have been no changes to the server my wordpress site is hosted on – neither
   before, during or after the domain name lapsed.
 * I appreciate your help, but I have found the situation immensely frustrating 
   and I think I’ll just stick to the plain old fashioned method of writing my own
   site again.

Viewing 11 replies - 1 through 11 (of 11 total)

The topic ‘ERROR 500 – INTERNAL SERVER ERROR’ is closed to new replies.

## Tags

 * [domain](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/domain/)
 * [server](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/server/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 11 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [mrpicouk](https://wordpress.org/support/users/mrpicouk/)
 * Last activity: [7 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-500-internal-server-error-55/#post-11405608)
 * Status: resolved

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