WordPress FAQ: Troubleshooting a WordPress Install

Help! My WordPress install is borked and I don’t know how to fix it or even where to begin looking

This question is actually inspired by the support thread over at the WordPress Support Forums regarding a percieved bug in the Autosave feature in WordPress 2.1. In that thread, things got very heated as one camp was distraught while the other camp was trying to figure out what was going on and couldn’t duplicate the problem.

The rules of thumb when troubleshooting - whether yourself or by asking in the support forum, mailing lists or via consultants such as myself, is to provide the most complete information possible.

For instance, whether for WordPress or any other software, try to ascertain:

1. Plugins installed and versions
2. Theme used
3. Browse, OS, version numbers
4. Firefox extensions used, perhaps
5. Can you reproduce on a different computer?

In the case of this support issue, it seems to me there is a plugin run afoul and I provided this approach:
Disable ALL plugins - particularly ANY plugin that MIGHT have javascript in use. Does this solve this problem? (Note: it will probably create errors on the template because now plugin functions aren’t available - don’t worry when you reactivate those things will be fixed).

If that fixes the issue, take the divide and conquer approach and reactivate half your plugins (that you were using). Does the problem come back? If no, activate half of what’s left. Repeat and rinse.

If you activate plugins and the problem does return, focus on that group of plugins. Deactivate half of them and check for the problem. Does it occur? Yes? No? And so on until you find the culprit.

If none of this solves the issue, kick your theme over to Kubrick (though I doubt this is a theme related issue since the error is in wp-admin but for due diligence, follow through and check it out).

I am 99.999% sure you will find the culprit.

Be methodical. Provide detailed info on how to reproduce.

• 
• Stumble it!

About the Author: Aaron Brazell is the lead editor of Technosailor.com and a social media expert. His passion is to see companies and individuals use the internet and web technologies wisely and effectively to promote their brands and companies. He served as Director of Technology at b5media from 2005-2008 and is currently an independent consultant.