Those of us who have installed the Windows Update titled, April 2018 Update (build 1803), may be experiencing issues with their computers becoming completely unresponsive until a manual restart while using Google Chrome.
The issue is known to Microsoft and Google and no doubt the developers are working to discover what the issue is and the subsequent solution. Until that time we have a few techniques that may help.
The WordPress Security Team just announced a security and maintenance release for all versions of WordPress since 3.7
WordPress versions 4.9.4 and earlier were affected by three recently discovered security issues. In addition, twenty-five other bugs were fixed in this WordPress 4.9.5 release.
We were recently contracted by a new client to “fix their website” which suddenly went offline.
Our analysis revealed that they had an improperly configured Apache .htaccess file. This can happen if the hosting company migrates a website or updates the .htaccess file, which they do from time to time, but without testing for compatibility. This can also happen for a number of other reasons but you aren’t here for those.
The client authorized us access to their BlueHost hosting account so that we could resolve the issue for them. It was at that time that we discovered that their .htaccess file was not visible from within the File Manager component window under their cPanel.
Usually one would just check the box to “show hidden files” under the options menu which would reveal the .htaccess file. In this case there was no such option.
It was then that we discovered a work around which would force the reveal of any hidden files from within the File Manager component window. We will share this tip with you below.
Disclaimer: We make no guarantees or warranties with regards to the following tips and suggestions for an Apache .htaccess file regarding security and compression settings.
It is your responsibility to test out these settings on your server and check for comparability and security.
Sometimes, as a developer, it may be beneficial to hide the WordPress version number and or hide the WordPress update notice from backend users. Particularly if you are aware that performing the update will cause issues with your presently installed theme.
Nothing beats getting it fixed immediately, but sometimes that just isn’t feasible. We still recommend that any security releases be implemented immediately and if you must, take the site down for maintenance. That is, until the theme compatibility issues have been resolved and the security updates implemented.
The wp-config.php file has many interesting features. With this one file you can really fine-tune how your WordPress installation functions.
Many default WordPress settings may be adjusted using the ‘define‘ function. This may save you from having to download a bunch of plugins to manage similar settings. But a word of caution. They should only be adjusted if you know what you are doing.
The wp-config.php file has many interesting features. With this one file you can really fine-tune how your WordPress installation functions.
Many default WordPress settings may be adjusted using the ‘define‘ function. This may save you from having to download a bunch of plugins to manage similar settings. But a word of caution They should only be adjusted if you know what you are doing.
By disabling automatic updates to your WordPress installation you help prevent the changes of said update from crashing your website due to a unknown conflict. You can then use a staging server to test the update(s) against your website installation. However, this is not recommended as it may expose you to security risks if you are unable to patch your website against the latest threat(s) in timely order.
In addition, this method will not disable notifications of available updates. It will still prompt you in the administrative backend of your site when there is a new version of WordPress available.
Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 in January of 2015.
However, they are providing extended support until January of 2020.
Time to start migrating over to the greatly improved Windows 10.
