I Hate Wordpress Upgrades
Posted by Amateur Blogs
Yes, I know I should have installed the latest security fix weeks ago but every time I attempt a Wordpress upgrade something breaks. So, last weekend I decided to bite the bullet and upgrade from version 2.2 to version 2.3.2. The result? The site wouldn’t even load.
Since I’ve learned my lesson about backing up Wordpress I quickly backed out of the upgrade. Now, I don’t know about you, but I can’t figure out how to use the backup files created by the BackupWordpress or the Wordpress Database Backup plugins. The files end in .tar.gz (yes, I know this is a compressed file format), but what I get when I unzip them doesn’t seem usable. Also, one of the plugins insists on emailing me a backup copy of my SQL file about every 2 hours, even though it’s set to do this once daily.
Therefore, I simply download my site’s files to a hard drive. That’s why I was able to (somewhat) quickly replace the upgraded files.
But yesterday I decided enough was enough. I was going to upgrade this site or bust. So I printed the upgrade instructions from Wordpress.org and got started. And succeeded! The site is now properly upgraded.
Except:
1. Brian’s Threaded Comments plugin isn’t working. When you click the Submit button a “Page Not Found” error appears. Don’t worry, your comment actually goes through and gets posted but the error message is really annoying. Now, I’ve searched far and wide for a fix for this. I’ve gone to Brian’s forum (where the heck is Brian by the way – his readers are asking), the Wordpress.org forum, and Google. Looks like several people are experiencing the same problem since they upgraded. I found one “fix” and applied it but no dice.
2. Where Are My Incoming Links? Hello! Apparently the upgrade replaces the Technorati links with Google Blog Search links. Huh? All I know is that my latest incoming links are gone. Well, they’re not gone, they just don’t appear in the Dashboard. Um, why would Wordpress do this? If it ain’t broke . . .
So is it just me or do others have Wordpress Upgradephobia? Is anyone else experiencing the same problems, or better yet, have you figured out how to fix them?
These are the things that make me stress, eat Kettle Chips, and watch Dr. Who reruns. Okay, that’s really just a convenient excuse . . .
Saturday, January 26th, 2008 at 5:57 pm and is filed under random musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Consider trying the wordpress automatic upgrade plugin. It makes the whole process much much easier.
After that, you will wait for the next update!
Yes, I’ve heard about that plugin but it scares me even more than a manual upgrade!
I don’t think anyone enjoys the seemingly constant “OH MY GOD! CRITICAL UPDATE! INSTALL THESE FIXES IMMEDIATELY!” messages that we see from the people that promote the new releases and fixes. It makes WordPress sound less reliable than WindowsME
That said, you could always just do what a few other bloggers do: don’t upgrade. Ever. Instead, find out what the security problems are on the forums and fix the code yourself. By doing this, there’s less chance of plugins breaking.
Of course, this isn’t always the easiest solution, but with the knowledge you’d gain of the inner workings of WordPress, you could earn quite a bit of money
That was my original plan – just leave it and not upgrade. But when Vic’s site got hit I thought I should go ahead and install the security fix.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad I did, but I just KNEW it was going to break something, and it did. I’m hoping someone will have a fix for the threaded comments issue, otherwise I’ll probably have to contact the site designers.
The new version of WordPress does replace the Technorati links with Google blog search. Here is a plug in that will give you back Technorati as well. Then you can have the best of both worlds. I’ve been using it with no problems. Good Luck, Emma
http://www.nusuni.com/blog/nusuni-technorati-links-wordpress-plugin/
Emma: Thanks so much for the plugin tip. I’ve installed it. I didn’t get back the old links but I now see all new Technorati links.
Thanks!
Your welcome. Thanks for entering my contest.
I went through the same ordeal when upgrading to 2.3.2 on one of my WP blogs. Hell, it was messy. I had to get my hosting company to help roll back to my earlier version. For the time being I’m not gonna touch 2.3.2. I don’t keep drafts so I’m not worried about the security leak.
Markk: I know, for me it’s a scary task. Glad to hear you were able to get your site back up.