#1218 – content items still assigned to sh404sef content category after removing sh404sef

Hi,
unfortunately I had to disable (and finally remove) SH404sef from one of my websites. But still most of the content items seems all assigned from the sh404sef custom content category. I need to end this connection and any possible active redirects or joomla internal routing using SH404sef functionalities.

Here is the short background about this topic:
I used SH404sef for a long time and migrated it over the years from joomla 1.5 to 2.5 up to 3.4.x Since the last major joomla update I had performance problems only with the one website, which used SH404sef. A week ago I noticed SEF redirects to wrong joomla content, dead component links (SOBI) and PHP / Webserver connection problems. I had to find a quick solution. After I disabled SH404sef some problems disappear, performance get a little bit better, but PHP processes seems still to have increased and sometimes server gets down again.

I uninstalled sobi as described in your online documentation. I only uninstalled the sh404SEF component, not any of the other plugins that have 'sh404SEF' in their name. I tried to remove sh404SEF entirely, including all database tables and configuration backup files, according to your documentation. The sh404SEF custom content remained at the backend.

Then JSitemap Developer John Dagelmore found something very strange on my site, he wrote “indeed all articles seems to be assigned to the sh404sef category (maybe a database corruption?)” Despite the fact that articles show a specific category they seems all descendant from the sh404sef custom content category with ID 100. By the way, there is an second sh404sef-custom-content category with ID 111.
Dont get me wrong, I liked this component very much. The problems may caused in some strange migration update topic of previous joomla versions or some dependencies with your component. We probably won´t find out. I only have to get a stable and fast accessibility again for the website and the need to end the connection and any possible active redirects or joomla internal routing using SH404sef functionalities.
How can this be done?

Hi,

<<You mean the real last? 3.4.5?
No, joomla 3.4

<<I uninstalled sobi as described in your online documentation
Sorry, I meant SH404sef

<<You ininstall the "Main" administrator component, and it removes itself and all the rest.

The Sh404SEF custom content" category (respectively the two Sh404SEF custom Content categories which left) should normally be deleted automatically , when I uninstall the "Main" administrator component? It has not to stay there as some part of legacy? Maybe I could disable or delete them on a testserver and look, what happen.

<<It seems to me the only possibly course of operation would be to use the Joomla batch tools and <<move content back to where it belongs?
That´s the problem: All articles show the right specific category where they belong and all categories exist. But somewhere in the joomla underground the articles seems all descendant from the sh404sef custom content category with ID 100, which does not exist anymore.

No, I tried not rebuilding the category tree yet. I will use a testserver and have a look...

Rgds

I tried rebuilding the category tree on a testserver, nothing changed.

I disabled sh404sef custom content category with ID 100 and all other categories except the category Service (which is at my website the Uncategoried category) get disabled too immediately. There seems to be a Connection, which I can´t suspend in the admin backend.

Rgds

<<sh404sef custom content category with ID 100, which does not exist anymore.

<<Did you delete it?

No, sorry, that was a wrong Expression (I meant, it should not exist anymore). The category still exist and I haven´t try to delete it. I only tried to disable it.

Surely I can give you access to an akeeba backup of the site. Do you have a wish or proposal, e.g. a directory, where I should provide it (58 MB size) ?

Hi,

here is access to test site with akeeba backups

Backend URL: http://www.xxxx.net/administrator/
Name: xxxx
Pwd: xxxx

Hi,

Components / Admin Tools / .htaccess Tool
almost down at the end of the settings, above "System coniguration" there is a setting to redirect any request from non-www to WWW, which can easily be deactivated. The green Create and save .htaccess Button change this setting immediately. The result is a file .htaccess.admintools, it can be found directly besides .htaccess .

Rgds

<<ok, not sure why, but it looks like this was coming from using PHP 5.3!

?? Strange.
Joomla Backend System information says: PHP-Version 5.5.30
The serverside Settings are PHP 5.5 too

Thanks for JotCache hint: I activated JotCache on the live system, because it was the only way to keep the site alive (perfromance). For my test with deactivating SH404sef category I deactivated JotCache.

<<If I was able to get to the backend, I'd surely give a go at poking into the db, but I can't.

I could provide you a PHPAdmin access to my testserver, if it would help.

<<Yes, the site works with PHP 5.4 or More, but not with PHP 5.3

Ahh, sorry, I don´t get it. What dou meant before with: ok, not sure why, but it looks like this was coming from using PHP 5.3!

<<Here is what I did that restored a categories database table that looked liek normal:

Great! I will test that. Because of european time it´s late in the evening and I will wait until tomorrow when I am well-rested (hopefully). Thanks for now!

Rgds

Hi,

I did what you recommended and tested it on a test server. I had to made a few manual changes but the rest seemed to work immediately. There appeared some old categories and content items in the backend again which I had deactivated long ago. So maybe it was really an effect which was related to a previous joomla update migration.

In the meantime I switched the test server version to live website, Perfomance OK, seems to be stable online (knock on wood).

So thank you very much for your help, deleting the sh404SEF database row seems to solve the problem.

Rgds