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Hi
As I was upgrading from version 1.5.18 I was not able to use Jupgrade or the Update Installer. I followed the instructions for FTP transfer ie backed up files, downloaded package and installed files on root directory. The frontend works fine and I can access content. However on the backend the admin menu does not work. I can get to the menu manager etc by clicking on icons but I have to keep logging out and back in to get to each section or use different URLs. I have tried different options suggested on forum eg changed permissions on media/system/js; changed code in menu.js file; checked order in admin menu and admin submenu set to 1; updated configuration.php.dist and saved it as configuration.php. The version number is definitely 1.5.26 now but I would really like to fix this menu problem before I continue upgrading to 2.5.
Many thanks in advance for any advice you can give me.
All the best

Could be a problem with your mootools files. Try downloading a full version of Joomla 1.5.26 and upload the media folder to your site. The mootools files can become corrupted, don't know if it is a server issue or a problem with some FTP transfers.

Many thanks for your help. I will try doing as you suggest and let you know how I get on.

Sorry, I followed your instructions but the admin menu is still not working. There could be a problem with ftp. I was wondering should I download the latest version of Joomla! and start over? I have backups of the content and database. Would I have to build everything from scratch? What snags should I watch out for? Thanks

Looking through the Extension directory I see there are Admin Menu Manager extensions, could it be you have an extension installed for the Admin menus that is not compatible with Joomla 1.5.26?

Before doing a complete rebuild try installing the Version Verification Tool extension and see if it finds any corrupt or missing Joomla files. Repairing or replacing corrupt files could fix your site.

I installed and ran 'version verification tool' extension as you suggested and got the following results:
Version Verification Tool
• Home
Welcome to the Version Verification Tool. This component will check each file of your Joomla installation to verify that it hasn't been modified from it's original state. If a file has been modified, if "Find Version" is set to "Yes" in your parameters, an attempt will be made to see if a different official version of that file resides on your server. This parameter is defaulted to 'No' as it's more memory and compute intensive, and therefore, may not work properly under all conditions.
• To run the check, set the drop-down to the correct version of your Joomla installation and click "Run Check".

***** Manual signatures are NOT allowed *****
Running check...
XML File: /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/administrator/components/com_versionverificationtool/xml/1_5/1.5.26.xml
Root Joomla Path: /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach
Modified Files
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/templates/rhuk_milkyway/images/mw_joomla_logo.png
Missing Files
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/food/bread.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/food/bun.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/food/coffee.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/food/index.html
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/food/milk.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/fruit/cherry.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/fruit/index.html
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/fruit/pears.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/fruit/peas.jpg
• /users/pg/doyleth/www/reachteach/images/stories/fruit/strawberry.jpg
Ignored Files
• /^installation\/.*/: 287
***** Manual signatures are NOT allowed *****
Legend:
Modified Files - Files that are not the 'official' version of the file as distributed by Joomla.org
Missing Files - Files that could not be found on your system, though the should be there
Ignored Files - Files that are intentionally not tested. This can be configured through the parameters. Example: The installation directory, which is intentionally removed after site configuration.

Version Verification Tool
Copyright: 2010-2012 © SourceCoast Web Development
Version: 2.0.2

These results would seem to indicate that the files are okay and all version 1.5.16 or am I misreading them?
I am not worried by the missing files because this is just test data and the folders no longer exist on the current site.
I could not change the parameters in the verification tool so I hope that the defaults were alright.
I did a quick check of the system information and it seems okay too.
What should I do now?
Thanks

You were checking against the 1.5.26.xml file so you have a 1.5.26 install that is only missing a few sample files and there are no corrupt files. Do you have any Admin Menu Manager extensions installed or security extensions? If they are not compatible with 1.5.26 that could be your problem.

In the Global Configuration settings try enabling Error Reporting, set it to maximum, and see if you get an error message when you refresh your backend. That may tell you if is is a file error or missing param or a bad module. Try running the Post Assistant on your site and see if it finds any server problems.

Does your template have an issue with Joomla 1.5.26, check the template creator's site. If you are using the default admin template have you created any overrides for it that may be conflicting with 1.5.26?

Could it be your admin menu module is disabled? Check in the Module Manager, click on the Administrator tab and check the Admin Menu module to see if it is disabled. If you are seeing no admin menu that could be the issue.

If you see the menu but it is not clickable it could be that your page is not loading completely, the menu is one of the last items to load on the page. If your page is timing out before it finishes loading that could leave your menu visible but with no links or drop downs.

Am having similar problem. Can only get left position. Have tried several very generic themes.

Just to say 'merci beaucoup' for your help.
I changed error reporting to 'maximum' but received no error messages. I double-checked that the admin menu is enabled and order is '1'. I tried running Post Assistant and got back lots of info on the site. The server seems fine. I am using the 'default' admin template unchanged.

I also ran Xenu on the site and report showed up one broken link:
https://www.scss.tcd.ie/~doyleth/reacht ... ootools.js
error code: 403 (forbidden request), linked from page(s):
https://www.scss.tcd.ie/~doyleth/reacht ... nistrator/
I copied over the mootoos.js file again in case it had become corrupt but admin menu is still not working. How can I fix this link, please?
Wondering if I can upgrade now to 2.5 even if the admin menu is not working?
Thanks

There is a plugin (System - Mootools Upgrade) that will upgrade Mootols.

Have you tried the admin page without SSL, I see your address begins with "https"?

The error code: 403 suggests there could be a permissions or ownership issue with the mootools file or the path to it.
http://docs.joomla.org/Why_can%27t_you_install_any_extensions%3F

If you use the jUpgrade migrator to move to 2.5 it creates a 2.5 version of your site in a different folder so your old site still works.

Eureka! the admin menu is working at long last!! It was a permissions issue as you suggested. I checked the permissions of each file in the mtupgrade folder and realised that they had all reverted to read only. After I had updated the permissions to include 'write' and 'execute' (ie updated number to 777 in each case) the admin menu worked again. What a relief! Many many thanks for helping me stick with this to see it through.

Unfortunately I am having no joy with the JUpgrade migrator so far. I altered the parameters as recommended but I am just getting a 'frozen page' indicating the steps in the process. Any advice?

Sorry, I haven't used it yet. they have their own forum though;
http://redcomponent.com/forum/92-jupgrade

Many thanks again. I have had a quick look at the problems people have been discussing on the jupgrade forum. I think I shall keep using version 1.5.26 for the moment!

There are instructions on this page, near the bottom, on how to manually migrate your site if jUpgrade is not working for you, good luck.
http://docs.joomla.org/Migrating_from_Joomla_1.5_to_Joomla_2.5#How_to_Manually_Migrate_Joomla