Akeeba Backup for Joomla!

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 12:52 CDT

user23842

Mandatory information about my setup:

Have I read the related troubleshooter articles above before posting (which pages?)? Yes
Have I searched the tickets before posting? Yes
Have I read the documentation before posting (which pages?)? No
Joomla! version: 2.5.14
PHP version: (unknown)
MySQL version: (unknown)
Host: (optional, but it helps us help you)
Akeeba Backup version: (unknown)

EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: Please attach a ZIP file containing your Akeeba Backup log file in order for us to help you with any backup or restoration issue. If the file is over 2Mb, please upload it on your server and post a link to it (don't have a recent backup because we can't make any)

Description of my issue:
All of a sudden, in a few of our sites, when we go to Akeeba Backup (which has worked fine in the past), we get this error:

500 - An error has occurred.
SQL=SELECT `params` FROM `jos_components` WHERE (`link` = 'option=com_akeeba') AND (`parent` = '0')

We read the article called "I get a blank page or Internal 500 error accessing Akeeba Backup or trying to backup" but wanted to still contact you because it seems strange that it's giving specific SQL code in the error. And hoping you know the quick fix since it is so specific.

Please let us know if you know what is causing this error on several of our sites.

Thanks

Wednesday, 23 October 2013 16:39 CDT

dlb

It is especially wierd because a 500 error does not usually give any feedback about what went wrong. That is so it doesn't give an attacker any help.

Does the backup produce a backup log? If so, please zip and post it. This is not one that I can solve, I'm just trying to anticipate what Nicholas will ask for before I ask him to look at it.

Dale

Dale L. Brackin
Support Specialist

English: native

Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

????
My time zone is EST (UTC -5) (click here to see my current time in Philadelphia, PA)

Thursday, 24 October 2013 08:03 CDT

user23842

Hi,
It did create a backup log, so I zipped it and attached it.
Thanks!

Thursday, 24 October 2013 09:49 CDT

dlb

Thank you. When are you getting the SQL error? I can not find the error in the backup log.

Dale L. Brackin
Support Specialist

English: native

Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

????
My time zone is EST (UTC -5) (click here to see my current time in Philadelphia, PA)

Thursday, 24 October 2013 09:57 CDT

user23842

We can't even get to the Akeeba Backup component. We go to "Components" and click "Akeeba Backup" and it shows that 500 error with the SQL statement.

Thursday, 24 October 2013 10:16 CDT

dlb

OK, now I get it. I have asked Nicholas to take a look at this.

Dale

Dale L. Brackin
Support Specialist

English: native

Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

????
My time zone is EST (UTC -5) (click here to see my current time in Philadelphia, PA)

Thursday, 24 October 2013 12:40 CDT

nicholas

I doubt that you have installed any recent version of Akeeba Backup on that site. The SQL command you have pasted refers to the #__components table which has been removed since Joomla! 1.6, replaced with the #__extensions table. The last version family of our software which wasn't aware of this change was 3.1, released over three years ago. The last time you downloaded such an old version was almost three years ago, on January 7th 2011.

This ancient version predates Joomla! 2.5 by several years which explains why it cannot work on it. Therefore I am certain that you cannot have been using this version of Akeeba Backup on that site in the past, unless your site was only very recently upgraded to Joomla! 2.5. Simply put, the SQL error you pasted indicates an ancient version of Akeeba Backup which can't install -let alone work- on Joomla! 2.5.

Please uninstall that ancient Akeeba Backup version from your site, then download and install Akeeba Backup 3.8.2. As far as I can see the last version you've downloaded was 3.8.1 on September 11th and that version is already out of date.

PS: In case you were spooked about how much I know about what you downloaded, when and from where: we have a comprehensive download log that goes back into the first day of Akeeba Backup 3.0.0 release in early 2010, when we renamed JoomlaPack to Akeeba Backup, starting our commercial venture.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Thursday, 24 October 2013 14:09 CDT

user23842

Problem solved. FYI, we had Akeeba version 3.7.10 installed (on Joomla 2.5.14) and we installed 3.8.1 over it, without uninstalling first and this is what caused the error (we tested it again just now and it led to the same error, with the SQL statement).

We then uninstalled all Akeeba stuff completely and installed 3.8.1 again and it works.

So I guess the moral of the story is to always uninstall Akeeba stuff first before installing a new version.

----

EDIT: IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM THE DEVELOPERS

NEVER UNINSTALL OUR COMPONENTS BEFORE UPGRADE. YOU WILL LOSE DATA AND WE WILL BE UNABLE TO HELP YOU. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF DATA DUE TO COMPONENT UNINSTALLATION.

DO NOT UNINSTALL OUR COMPONENTS LEST YOU WISH TO STOP USING THEM, KEEPING IN MIND THAT YOU WILL LOSE ALL YOUR DATA FOREVER, WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY TO RECOVER THEM IF YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND.

----

Edited by nicholas on 2013-10-24 14:32 CDT

Thursday, 24 October 2013 14:30 CDT

nicholas

Normally an update from 3.5.x to any later version doesn't cause any problems. We strongly advise AGAINST uninstalling our components before upgrading. Doing so will remove ALL of your settings. This is disastrous for most components, e.g. Akeeba Subscriptions (all your paid subscribers' information would be gone instantly). When talking about Akeeba Backup it will not only lose all settings, it will also remove all backups in the default backup directory AND all backup records.

Furthermore, the SQL query you reported does not exist in Akeeba Backup 3.5.x or later, i.e. the versions designed for Joomla! 2.5 and later. The SQL query you reported certainly doesn't exist in Akeeba Backup 3.7.10! You had a much earlier version installed, or you restored your site on top of a site using a much older version of Akeeba Backup.

Nicholas K. Dionysopoulos

Lead Developer and Director

🇬🇷Greek: native 🇬🇧English: excellent 🇫🇷French: basic • 🕐 My time zone is Europe / Athens
Please keep in mind my timezone and cultural differences when reading my replies. Thank you!

Support