unable to register ne users

[tricities]

In July 2015, I moved the SMF being on a paid hosted account at HostForWeb.com and stored it on another domain my client has so they wouldn't have to pay for a forum.  Everything was running fine until a couple of days ago.

I've exhausted all resources in doing searches on SMF
and SpambotSecurity/Zbblock http://www.spambotsecurity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=2080

Problem:
I can register a new person without any problems, but my client says he cannot and neither can new people.  They keep getting
Hourly registration attempts exceeded!
Press your back button and try something else.

He gets this on the first attempt.  This is wording directly from the Zbblock file....but.......

The log files show a bunch errors in templates during their attempts.  Such as

http://www.ucfm.org/pmb/index.php?action=register;sa=usernamecheck;xml;username=Job
Unable to load the 'check_username' template

I can't remember now what I clicked on to see this error sometime yesterday
parsing error index.php?action=register;a=username check;xml;username=amos

I got this one while logged in
Unable to load the 'stats' template

Another user got this one while logged in
Unable to load the 'message_icons' template

I noticed that my IP address was blacklisted at spambotsecurity but the users who couldn't register were able to see his website.  I called him and he flushed his DNS cache (or whatever it was he said he would do to whitelist everybody, which he said his day job doesn't allow him to maintain his website very much).  So today I can see his website.  But this doesn't seem to be the problem since myself and my client and his customers are having totally different effects.  So now I'm on a hunt about this template problem, thinking if it has a problem it's somehow making zbblock's wording come up as if the user had exhaust all three attempts at logging in.  (which is not the case at all from what I'm hearing)

So.........I followed what Kindred said here on this topic
http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=533902.msg3794321#msg3794321
Kindred says
"Since you have no mods, then I recommend loading a clean, fresh set of files.
Delete everything except settings.php, settings_bak.php, the avatar directory and the attachments directory.  And then load a clean set of forum files from a clean download of the zip."  http://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/How_to_upload_a_fresh_set_of_files

I did all that and I'm waiting until later today to see if they're going to still have problems.

Question: I moved the forum in July.  Here it is September.  All of a sudden users cannot register and there template errors and zbblock wording about multiple login attempts during registration ()  I haven't been back to the forum to have touched any files after July and there are no other people modifying anything.  There are no mods as far as I know except I did add one block for a member ID number to be entered during registration.  Works for me, doesn't for them.  What is happening?

So, the last thing that goes unchecked is related to the last post I made Dec 2014 about the Packages folder.  I never did look into it and today now wonder what's in it and if it's at all related to all these problems all of a sudden.  I don't see how it's possible since I never did bother with that folder back in 2014.

I read this http://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?topic=400356.msg2782585#msg2782585

I got as far as this:
Download that file to your desktop, or somewhere fairly empty of files and dearchive it.

It's a "gz" file.

When you dearchive it you'll be left with a "tar" file.

If you dearchive that, you'll find loads of files and directories.

Okay........but I don't know what "dearchive" means.  So did a google search to see I may need 7-zip.  I installed it and was able to get the tar file but cannot get any further with that because everything I read from that point on is talking about some command prompt as if the reader knows what they're talking about when using one and this reader doesn't!  It's irritating to spend all night long trying to figure out how to extract files from a tar file without any instructions whatsoever.  I chose Extract on 7-zip and it's asking for a password!  WHAT???

So I haven't a clue, once again.


http://www.spambotsecurity.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=2080  This is almost exactly our problem but it didn't quite solve my problem and I think that user may have discovered these template errors maybe causing his problem too, but I can't be sure.

I have no idea what to do at this point to get members to be able to register again, and it's a totally mystery to me why everything was working for an entire month until now.

Any clues and help would soooo be appreciated.  Please feel free to sign up with a fake name.  We won't activate unless you're ID number matches our other membership, so test away if you'd like to help me figure this out.

Thanks again
Tina

[tricities]

Here's his reply today after I did a clean install.

"It won't even let me start the registration. As soon as I click register it gives me the message that I exceeded the attempts"

[Kindred]

Well, if you installed a clean set of files (as you first suggested that you were doing) then the second action would be completely pointless - since, by installing a clean set of files, you are REMOVING every mod. (well, except for those which use hooks)


So, try that...   use a clean set of files.

[tricities]

Unzipping that folder was more about curiosity.  I guess I'll create a new thread to ask how to do that.

What's a "hook"

I sent my client the link to have him whitelisted on SMF through zbblock script.  He then said,
I am not getting the exceeded hourly limit, but it will not let me register. When I submit it takes me back to user,, email, password section.

I didn't get any error in the log for his attempt.  I think he probably didn't put in the mandatory ID number, so I've changed the script to 10 pixel red dashed lines so he can see it next time, if that was the case.  I'm also going to try to connect our computers and control his mouse and try to replicate his problem, since I can't see the problem on my end.

Again, I have no idea what to do at this point to get members to be able to register again, and it's a totally mystery to me why everything was working for an entire month until now.

Any clues and help would soooo be appreciated.  Please feel free to sign up with a fake name.  We won't activate unless you're ID number matches our other membership, so test away if you'd like to help me figure this out.

Thanks

[Sir Osis of Liver]

What a mess.  You have way too much security running, forum either doesn't load at all, or blocks my proxy when I try to register.  You have a scratch install of 2.0.10 with default Curve.  Nothing to lose, so just delete the entire forum except for Settings.php and upload a clean set of files from large upgrade package.  Disable whatever antispam/security you're running on the server until you get the forum up and running properly.

[Kindred]

I have no idea what you are talking about.

If you are having such serious issues, then load a fresh set of files.

I have never even heard of zbblock... That sounds like something which was added, custom to the site and it sounds like whatever it is was either installed poorly or is now broken.
Loading a clean set of files, (read the FAQ in what to do) will get rid of the bad code and set you up with a clean install of smf which will keep all of the existing messages and users.

Edit...  Krash, he should also not delete settings_bak.php or the avatars or attachments directories

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Edit...  Krash, he should also not delete settings_bak.php or the avatars or attachments directories

Yes, thanks for picking that up.  Should have complete forum and database backups before doing anything, but that's a whole nother thang.  There's a honeypot running either as a forum mod or on the server, who knows what else.  Can't get to registration at all.