Title: Fatal error: cannot create references …user.php Last modified: October 6, 2018 --- # Fatal error: cannot create references …user.php * [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/) * Warning: Illegal string offset ‘remember’ in /webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp- includes/user.php on line 39 * Warning: Cannot assign an empty string to a string offset in /webroot/e/r/erics001/ blog/www/wp-includes/user.php on line 39 * Warning: Illegal string offset ‘user_login’ in /webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/ wp-includes/user.php on line 54 * Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Cannot create references to/from string offsets in /webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-includes/user.php:54 Stack trace: #0 /webroot/ e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-login.php(759): wp_signon(”, ”) #1 {main} thrown in / webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-includes/user.php on line 54 * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Ffatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US) to see the link]_ Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 18 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/page/2/?output_format=md) * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10755900) * I think it goes pear shaped here: * `Parse error: syntax error, unexpected 'new' (T_NEW) in /webroot/e/r/erics001/ blog/www/wp-content/themes/magazine-basic/loop.php on line 30` * Change your theme to twentyseventeen. If the errors go away, then the issue is with the theme. If so, I recommend asking at [https://wordpress.org/support/theme/magazine-basic#new-post](https://wordpress.org/support/theme/magazine-basic#new-post) so the theme’s developers and support community can help you with this. I note you’re using a very out-of-date version of the theme. * It also appears that you’re using a very, very out of date version of WordPress. If the twentyseventeen theme is not installed, try whatever twenty* theme you have. * Given how out of date things are, you also need to consider that your site might have been hacked — and the hack broke it. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10755977) * Yeah, some of my sites have been neglected for a while. Updating the site was my project for today. But how do I update it if I can’t get into the wp-admin? * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10755979) * Try renaming the theme’s directory in wp-content/themes to force WP to fall back to a default theme. That may let you login. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10756050) * Nope. And it won’t open the page (non-wp-admin) now either. * If I delete all the files and reinstall WP, can I connect to and use the old DB? * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10756066) * >> If I delete all the files and reinstall WP, can I connect to and use the old DB?<< * We’re not there yet. * Rename things back to what they were. * Make a backup of your site (and database). You should be able to do this from your hosting control panel. * When that’s done and safely downloaded, do a [manual WordPress update](https://codex.wordpress.org/Upgrading_WordPress#Manual_Update), then upload the current version of the theme by downloading it from wordpress. org, unzippping locally, and replacing the theme you currently have on the site. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10756105) * Will do. Can’t do it now. Will return with results later. Many thanks. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10757671) * I see the instructions say to deactivate plugins. Since I can’t access the site admin, can I ignore that or is there some workaround I should do? Thanks. * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10757687) * You can skip that. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775770) * I did the manual upgrade, following the instructions on the site you indicated. I’m still getting this error message (which I think is the same that I was getting before the manual upgrade): * Fatal error: Uncaught Error: Call to undefined function apply_filters() in /webroot/ e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-includes/load.php:316 Stack trace: #0 /webroot/e/r/erics001/ blog/www/wp-settings.php(61): wp_debug_mode() #1 /webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/ wp-config.php(77): require_once(‘/webroot/e/r/er…’) #2 /webroot/e/r/erics001/ blog/www/wp-load.php(29): require_once(‘/webroot/e/r/er…’) #3 /webroot/e/r/erics001/ blog/www/wp-admin/admin.php(31): require_once(‘/webroot/e/r/er…’) #4 /webroot/ e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-admin/index.php(10): require_once(‘/webroot/e/r/er…’)# 5 {main} thrown in /webroot/e/r/erics001/blog/www/wp-includes/load.php on line 316 * I’ve cleared my browser history (Safari) and I deleted the magazine-basic theme. The problems seemed to start when I upgraded PHP at my hosted site per the host’s requirement, from 5.3 to 7.2. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775788) * in www/wp-includes/load.php, line 316 is just a commented-out line. * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775790) * Are all your plugins up to date? * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775811) * I tried deleting all the plugins and uploading just the ones in the new WP source, but that didn’t change anything. * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775836) * It sure seems to me that your WP installation farkled. * Try this: * In the site root, delete all .php files *except* wp-config.php and the directories wp-admin and wp-includes. * Download a fresh copy of WordPress and unzip locally. * Upload the result to replace the files you just deleted. * Thread Starter [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * (@wperic) * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775848) * What do I do with wp-content? Delete all the php files in that directory? * Moderator [Steven Stern (sterndata)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/sterndata/) * (@sterndata) * Volunteer Forum Moderator * [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/#post-10775855) * I’ve been asked to find out if you have any “must use” plugins. Do you have a directory “wp-contents/mu-plugins”? If so, what’s in there (and what happens if you delete the files)? Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 18 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Fatal error: cannot create references …user.php’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [user.php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/user-php/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 18 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [wperic](https://wordpress.org/support/users/wperic/) * Last activity: [7 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/fatal-error-cannot-create-references-user-php/page/2/#post-10775885) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics