Limited use of Admin screens Topic is solved

[J0nB0y]

I'm running Joomla! 3.10.11. I keep looking at upgrading, but I have problems in the back end. I'm a bit out of my depth and don't really know where to start looking other than what I've tried. Any suggestions welcome.

The problems started after I migrated to a new host, so there may be something in the hosting, but again, I don't know where to point them.

I wonder if it's possible to clean install Joomla! 4 and then migrate the old database, but that seems a bit too easy?

The website appears to be running fine. I've gone back to a default template so it's not pretty, but it's working.

I can create a new article and it appears on the site.

However ...

I cannot edit any articles - I get a 500 error.
I cannot install or uninstall any extensions, again I get a 500 error.
I cannot edit other things - categories, users for example.

Articles are locked after the 500 error, and I can unlock them through the articles screen.

I have checked file and folder permissions and they are all 755/644 except for the configuration file which is 444, but as I can change that (see below) I assume that's not the problem.

I can change configuration. So, for example, setting error reporting to maximum, I get the deprecated messages below and have to change configuration.php through file manager to get the admin screens back. There is an error message at the bottom, but I think that relates to the error reporting (the application, i.e. the admin screens, run with default error reporting):

Deprecated: Joomla\Input\Input implements the Serializable interface, which is deprecated. Implement __serialize() and __unserialize() instead (or in addition, if support for old PHP versions is necessary) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/input/src/Input.php on line 41

Deprecated: Return type of Joomla\Input\Input::count() should either be compatible with Countable::count(): int, or the #[\ReturnTypeWillChange] attribute should be used to temporarily suppress the notice in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/input/src/Input.php on line 170

Deprecated: Joomla\CMS\Input\Input implements the Serializable interface, which is deprecated. Implement __serialize() and __unserialize() instead (or in addition, if support for old PHP versions is necessary) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/src/Input/Input.php on line 31

Warning: session_name(): Session name cannot be changed after headers have already been sent in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/joomla/session/handler/native.php on line 128

Deprecated: Joomla\CMS\Input\Cookie implements the Serializable interface, which is deprecated. Implement __serialize() and __unserialize() instead (or in addition, if support for old PHP versions is necessary) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/src/Input/Cookie.php on line 0

Warning: session_cache_limiter(): Session cache limiter cannot be changed after headers have already been sent in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/joomla/session/handler/native.php on line 235
Error: Failed to start application: Failed to start the session because headers have already been sent by "/home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/vendor/joomla/input/src/Input.php" at line 41.

[Per Yngve Berg]

What version of php?

Go back to 8.0 if you have any newer.

[J0nB0y]

It was 8.2, so I have gone back to 8.0 but no change.

I've added in the original post that articles are locked after the 500 error, and I can unlock them through the articles screen.

[J0nB0y]

I may have found something. I noticed a php configuration setting to display errors, and now when I try to edit an article I get the following fatal errors. I may need to change a memory allocation setting in the host (edit: tried increasing it but no change, except to the allocation size in the message):

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 20480 bytes) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/src/Log/LogEntry.php on line 119

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 20480 bytes) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/src/Object/CMSObject.php on line 123

Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 134217728 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 20480 bytes) in /home/sites/27a/9/9e6bd61753/public_html/libraries/joomla/database/driver/mysqli.php on line 254

Warning: Unknown: Cannot call session save handler in a recursive manner in Unknown on line 0

[Webdongle]

...
I wonder if it's possible to clean install Joomla! 4 and then migrate the old database, but that seems a bit too easy?
...

No that would mix things up.

It looks like your php version is too high. Please post the results of https://forumpostassistant.github.io/docs/

fyi
https://docs.joomla.org/Copying_a_Jooml ... _Method.29 is considered the best way to move a site

[AMurray]

134,238,208 bytes = 134.24 MB. Seems a bit low for Joomla. Your memory limit should be at least 256M if not 512M.

[J0nB0y]

134,238,208 bytes = 134.24 MB. Seems a bit low for Joomla. Your memory limit should be at least 256M if not 512M.

I edited my comment having upped it to 512. It still fails.

[J0nB0y]

Sorry for multiple posts - I was getting no feedback from the Submit button, so I thought it hadn't registered, then I got four at once. I can't find a way to delete them or I would.

[AMurray]

No, you can't delete your own posts. You can report your own posts (request deletion by moderators) using the orange button (exclamation point next to the quote marks) near your profile information on the right of your posts.

[Webdongle]

I report my duplicate (and others) as Gremlins

[J0nB0y]

SOLVED!

The problem began when I migrated to a new host. The configuration for the temp and log folders include an absolute path rather than a relative one, as below.

/home/[host dependent identifier]/public_html/...

When the host migrated everything, they didn't know to update the configuration, and neither did I. Changed that and now everything works and I was able to complete the upgrade. Happy days.

[Webdongle]

fyi
Akeeba makes a backup file, of files and database, that installs to a new site setting the correct paths.

[J0nB0y]

Good to know. Thanks. I'll use that next time.