I'm getting "Connection Problems" error message...

[sbilheimer]

I'm suddenly getting that message:

Connection Problems
Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.

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I just tried going into the Admin.php and got the message "hacking attempt."

***************

It was working fine. The only thing I did was to edit the php file to change the name of the forum from My Community. I edited in UltraEdit and saved with php extension. I even reloaded the original file after getting the error the first time.

I'm hosting with Godaddy, who said they support Simple Machines.

Help! Thanks.

[MammaMel]

I am having this problem also, GoDaddy says its in the SMF script.
The problem is getting worse.
It began about 3 months ago, the site is very slow.
I need help! How can I find the problem and fix the script?
I have updated to the last SMF just as requested, switched to a dedicated IP, and regularly clear dead posts out of my data base, what else can I do.
I saw some one posted about being sure the passwords are the same between site and data base and that is our set up.
One gal got this error for 10 minutes straight last night!
help please!

[Fizzy]

Have you tried running repair_settings.php? (and can you please post a link)

What is repair_settings.php?

[MammaMel]

Hi I just did the repair on my board but it says no errors to repair!
the url is
http://prairiehomemaker.com/smf/index.php [nofollow]

I am getting the connection error now 3 times for each time it connects!

[redone]

Not every connection issue is related to SMF. Indeed, if your settings.php file is not corrupt in anyway then its a hosting issue not SMF.

Remember that the error is basically telling you that it cannot connect to the database and with some hosts this is a common issue because I have had this myself before.

[Fizzy]

I've been testing the problem on your home page too (not SMF) and the problem is the same there, it must be a hosting issue. Certainly not SMF i'm afraid.

[MammaMel]

Thank you, i have reemailed the host, I called Saturday so we shall see what happens now!

[redone]

Can I add to this that blaming your SMF installation is a very common claim by webhosts. The truth is there are thousands of SMF installs out there running just fine and without any issues.

[MammaMel]

Thank you redone, they are now claiming they no longer offer SMF in their service pack... now why didn't they tell me that on the phone Saturday?

[redone]

It's a typical response of a webhost to blame the software whether it be SMF or something else your using. Now, it could not be that the server is sold to the max and is crawling to a slow death? No, its your forum.

I have even heard this excuse on forums that have no more than 20 members online at one time! I am sorry but you need a new host and incredibly all your SMF problems will vanish!

[MammaMel]

Sigh...
I am not sure I can do another move with my board. I might be stuck with it as is for now.
It took us a month to get the board moved and set up last time! There are 100's of recipes and other research and reference  information to move as well as members and post counts.
Will the PHP 4.4.0 compatibility thing help any?
After a call to GD they basically said we have a right to be ticked (seems  like a case of patting us on the head) and we are on our own.

[redone]

It shouldn't take a month to move your board generally this procedure takes a day max taking into account the DNS update. If your host has updated php which they possibly have it certainly would not harm. But if everything is still slow then I am sorry to say simply your stuck on a slow and oversold server.

[MammaMel]

Well the move was us moving posts and information, that is what took so much time. There is too much info to just dump it and rebuild from scratch.
For some reason our .com (mb) account says it does not have php, but our other accounts (we bought .com, .net. org and .us) do show php, but there is nothign built on them.
Hey, would it help if I did the 1.1 upgrade?

[redone]

Well please understand 1.1rc is a release candidate although quite honestly most mods, themes etc are written with 1.1 in mind.

Updating would not do any harm but I doubt if it will fix all of your problems. If you do decide to upgrade remember to check that the mods you use currently will work with 1.1rc. Most theme's have been updated for 1.1rc so there is no issues there.

[beagle]

MammaMel,

I too have GoDaddy hosting my SMF board and was experiencing loading issues over the past 3 weeks or so. It started as slow loading, then failing altogether - getting the same error message as you. After 5 or so refresh attempts, my members were just giving up.

I've been talking with them (GoDaddy) since the 15th. 
This entry in the tech notes may shed some light:

Comment [Herrera, Francisco] Tuesday, April 18, 2006 8:59:08 AM   
I was able to access the application fine. We've been having load issues on the value apps database servers which probably caused this issue. We are currently working on a solution.

Since the 20th, my board seems to be improving, no longer getting the "cannot connect" errors, but still somewhat slowl.  This morning it was better again, pages loading more quickly.

I hope you're experiencing improvements as well.

I am using 1.1RC2 and a customized Default theme.

[MammaMel]

Yes! today it is flying, as it was before! i do not know what they did, but I an glad they did it!