Error 500 - Internal Server Error

Jonathan

New member
Joined
Aug 8, 2015
Messages
31
Several times over the last two days I have tried to post an answer but been unsuccessful with a message "Error 500 - Internal Server Error". I composed my answer in Notepad then copied and pasted it so I cannot see that there are any issues about formatting. Can you help please?
 
This has been happening to me a lot too. I haven't been able to figure out whether the errors have been correlated with something I've been doing (e.g. having incorrect LaTeX markup in my post) or just coincidental.
 
In my experience, it's because some sequence of characters within somebody's posting is conflicting somehow (???) with the back-end script. The back-end script panics, which causes the server to gag, and then we all get the "500" error.

Sometimes this is recoverable (if the troublesome post is erased and not reposted), but sometimes the issue is persistent, especially if the poster keeps trying edits or snippets, without knowing what the frick the problem is. Then we all have to wait until the server host notices the error, and reboots the server.

Fun. :sad:
 
Continuing saga (five months later) …

I've been fighting the system more than usual, the last week or so.

Now, when I get that Infernal 500 Error message, I first try wholesale deletions of my post, keeping only the bare essentials. If it then posts, good. If not, I give up.

This bug is getting worse. Before, I wasn't booted from the site, after an Infernal 500 episode. Now, I am, and I cannot log back in for 20 minutes using the same IP address. In other words, it's as if the site blocks traffic from my IP address until it calms down. I have to access the site, using a different network (i.e., new IP address). If that attempt goes haywire, then I'm stuck for 20 minutes because I only have two networks available, without leaving the house.

:mad:
 
Continuing saga (five months later) …

I've been fighting the system more than usual, the last week or so....
Might the hosting server be having problems with outdated software? Because the forum is currently running version 4.2.3, which was released back in 2015. The final verson opf 4.2.4 was released more than a year ago. And the current version is 5.4.1, which was released in April. One of the things that the newer versions were designed to handle is newer versions of PHP. If the server host has upgraded the server software, might that lead to more conflicts and errors? :shock:
 
I think the last few updates to version 4 (after 2015) were only for security issues and trying to maintain PHP compatability. Version 5 was in development. (This according to recent search.)

I sense our issues may arise from more than one problem source, and I don't know enough to troubleshoot. If my typing is lost or I can't post or posts are missing or threads become corrupted or I can't log in, oh well. :)
 
Top