Troubleshooting Guide

Quick Diagnosis

Common Symptoms & Solutions

Backup won’t start → Check PHP memory and permissions
Backup fails mid-process → Increase execution time
Plugin won’t activate → Verify PHP version and WordPress compatibility
Scheduled backups not working → Check WordPress cron status
File access errors → Verify directory permissions

Installation & Activation Issues

Plugin Won’t Activate

Error: “Plugin could not be activated”

Symptoms: Activation fails with generic error message

Causes:

PHP version below 7.4
Insufficient memory limit
File permission issues
WordPress version incompatibility

Solutions:

Check PHP Version

// Add this to a test file to check PHP version
<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Minimum required: PHP 7.4
Recommended: PHP 8.0+

Increase Memory Limit
- Add to wp-config.php:
- Or contact hosting provider
Check File Permissions
- Plugin files: 644
- Plugin directories: 755
- /wp-content/: 755
Verify WordPress Version
- Minimum: WordPress 5.0
- Recommended: WordPress 6.0+

Error: “Directory not writable”

Symptoms: Activation fails due to permission issues

Solutions:

# Set correct permissions
chmod 755 /path/to/wp-content/plugins/
chmod 644 /path/to/wp-content/plugins/vt-db-backup/*.php
chmod 755 /path/to/wp-content/plugins/vt-db-backup/

Plugin Activates But Doesn’t Work

Symptoms: Plugin shows as active but no menu appears

Solutions:

Check User Capabilities
- Ensure you’re logged in as Administrator
- Verify user has manage_options capability
Clear Cache
- Clear WordPress cache
- Clear browser cache
- Clear server cache if applicable
Check for Conflicts
- Deactivate other plugins temporarily
- Switch to default theme
- Check error logs

Backup Creation Issues

Backup Won’t Start

Button Unresponsive

Symptoms: Clicking “Create Backup” does nothing

Causes:

JavaScript errors
AJAX failures
Permission issues
Memory constraints

Solutions:

Check Browser Console
- Press F12 → Console tab
- Look for JavaScript errors
- Check for AJAX failures
Verify AJAX
- Check if WordPress AJAX is working
- Verify nonce values
- Check user permissions
Memory Issues
- Increase PHP memory limit
- Close other browser tabs
- Restart web server

Backup Fails Immediately

Symptoms: Backup starts but fails within seconds

Causes:

Database connection issues
Insufficient disk space
Permission problems
Plugin conflicts

Solutions:

Check Database Connection
- Verify database credentials
- Test database connectivity
- Check database server status

Verify Disk Space

# Check available disk space
df -h
# Check directory permissions
ls -la /wp-content/

Review Error Logs
- Check WordPress debug log
- Check server error logs
- Check plugin-specific logs

Backup Stops Mid-Process

Progress Bar Stops

Symptoms: Backup progress stops, no completion

Causes:

Execution time limit
Memory exhaustion
Server timeout
Database locks

Solutions:

Increase Execution Time

// Add to wp-config.php
set_time_limit(600); // 10 minutes
ini_set('max_execution_time', 600);

Increase Memory Limit

// Add to wp-config.php
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '512M');
define('WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT', '1G');

Check Database Locks

-- Check for running processes
SHOW PROCESSLIST;

-- Kill long-running queries if needed
KILL [process_id];

Memory Exhaustion

Symptoms: “Allowed memory size exhausted” error

Solutions:

Immediate Fixes
- Increase PHP memory limit
- Enable performance mode
- Close unnecessary applications
Long-term Solutions
- Optimize database
- Use PRO version features
- Upgrade server resources

Backup File Issues

File Corrupted

Symptoms: Can’t open backup file, restore fails

Causes:

Incomplete backup process
Disk space issues
Compression errors
File permission problems

Solutions:

Recreate Backup
- Delete corrupted file
- Create new backup
- Verify file integrity
Check Compression
- Test with compression disabled
- Verify Gzip support
- Check file permissions
Verify File System
- Check disk integrity
- Verify write permissions
- Test disk performance

File Too Large

Symptoms: Backup file size exceeds expectations

Solutions:

Enable Compression
- Gzip reduces size by 60-80%
- Check compression settings
- Verify compression working
Database Optimization
- Clean up unnecessary data
- Remove old revisions
- Optimize tables
Selective Backup (PRO)
- Choose specific tables
- Exclude unnecessary data
- Use incremental backups

Scheduling Issues

Automated Backups Not Working

WordPress Cron Problems

Symptoms: Scheduled backups never run

Causes:

WordPress cron disabled
Site inactivity
Plugin conflicts
Server timezone issues

Solutions:

Check Cron Status

// Add to functions.php to test cron
add_action('init', function() {
    if (!wp_next_scheduled('vt_db_backup_hourly_backup')) {
        wp_schedule_event(time(), 'hourly', 'vt_db_backup_hourly_backup');
    }
});

Force Cron Execution
- Visit your site regularly
- Use external cron jobs
- Install cron management plugin
Check Timezone
- Verify WordPress timezone setting
- Check server timezone
- Ensure consistency

Settings Not Saved

Symptoms: Schedule settings revert to defaults

Causes:

Database write issues
Plugin conflicts
Permission problems
Cache issues

Solutions:

Verify Database Access
- Check database permissions
- Test option saving
- Verify table structure
Clear Cache
- Clear WordPress cache
- Clear object cache
- Clear server cache
Check for Conflicts
- Deactivate other plugins
- Switch themes temporarily
- Check error logs

Performance Issues

Slow Backup Creation

Large Database Handling

Symptoms: Backups take extremely long time

Causes:

Very large database
Server resource limitations
Network issues
Database optimization needed

Solutions:

Enable Performance Mode
- Use –single-transaction
- Optimize memory usage
- Enable compression
Server Optimization
- Increase PHP memory
- Extend execution time
- Optimize MySQL settings
Database Optimization
- Clean up unnecessary data
- Optimize table structure
- Remove old revisions

Server Resource Issues

Symptoms: Site becomes slow during backups

Solutions:

Schedule During Low Traffic
- Choose off-peak hours
- Monitor server load
- Coordinate with maintenance
Resource Management
- Limit concurrent processes
- Use performance mode
- Monitor resource usage
Server Upgrades
- Increase memory
- Upgrade CPU
- Optimize storage

Notification Issues

Email Notifications Not Working

No Emails Received

Symptoms: Backup completes but no email notification

Causes:

Email configuration issues
Server email limitations
Plugin settings incorrect
Spam filters

Solutions:

Check Email Settings
- Verify admin email
- Test WordPress email
- Check notification settings
Server Email Configuration
- Verify SMTP settings
- Check mail server status
- Test email functionality
Plugin Configuration
- Enable email notifications
- Verify email address
- Test notification system

Slack Notifications (PRO)

Symptoms: Slack webhook not working

Solutions:

Verify Webhook URL
- Check webhook format
- Test webhook manually
- Verify Slack app permissions
Check Plugin Settings
- Enable Slack notifications
- Verify webhook URL
- Test notification system

File Management Issues

Backup Directory Problems

Directory Not Created

Symptoms: Backup directory missing or inaccessible

Causes:

Permission issues
Disk space problems
Plugin activation failure
Server configuration

Solutions:

Manual Directory Creation

mkdir -p /wp-content/db-backups
chmod 750 /wp-content/db-backups
chown www-data:www-data /wp-content/db-backups

Check Permissions
- Verify directory permissions
- Check ownership
- Test write access
Plugin Reinstallation
- Deactivate plugin
- Delete plugin files
- Reinstall fresh copy

Permission Issues

Symptoms: Can’t write to backup directory

Solutions:

# Set correct permissions
chmod 750 /wp-content/db-backups
chown www-data:www-data /wp-content/db-backups

# Or for shared hosting
chmod 755 /wp-content/db-backups

File Cleanup Issues

Old Backups Not Removed

Symptoms: Backup files accumulate, no automatic cleanup

Causes:

Cleanup cron not working
Permission issues
Plugin conflicts
Settings incorrect

Solutions:

Check Cleanup Settings
- Verify maximum backup count
- Check cleanup frequency
- Test manual cleanup
Manual Cleanup
- Delete old files manually
- Check file permissions
- Verify cleanup process
Cron Verification
- Check WordPress cron status
- Verify cleanup events
- Test cron functionality

Advanced Troubleshooting

Debug Mode

Enable WordPress Debug

// Add to wp-config.php
define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

Check Debug Log

Location: /wp-content/debug.log
Monitor during backup process
Look for error messages
Check for memory issues

Server Logs

Error Log Locations

Apache: /var/log/apache2/error.log
Nginx: /var/log/nginx/error.log
PHP: /var/log/php/error.log
WordPress: /wp-content/debug.log

Log Analysis

Look for error patterns
Check timestamps
Identify resource issues
Monitor performance

Database Analysis

Check Database Health

-- Check table status
SHOW TABLE STATUS;

-- Check for errors
CHECK TABLE wp_posts;
REPAIR TABLE wp_posts;

-- Optimize tables
OPTIMIZE TABLE wp_posts;

Performance Queries

-- Check slow queries
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'slow_query_log';

-- Check query cache
SHOW VARIABLES LIKE 'query_cache%';

Getting Help

Before Contacting Support

Information to Gather

Error Messages: Exact error text
System Details: PHP, MySQL, WordPress versions
Plugin Version: Current plugin version
Server Environment: Hosting provider, server type
Steps to Reproduce: Detailed reproduction steps

Basic Troubleshooting

Test with default settings
Deactivate other plugins
Switch to default theme
Check server requirements
Review error logs

Support Resources

Free Support

WordPress.org Forums: Community support
Documentation: This troubleshooting guide
GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests

PRO Support

Priority Support: Direct developer access
Email Support: support@visiontech.consulting
Live Chat: Available for PRO users
Custom Solutions: Tailored assistance

Contact Information

Support Channels

Email: support@visiontech.consulting
Website: https://visiontech.consulting/support
Documentation: https://visiontech.consulting/vt-db-backup/docs
PRO Support: Priority assistance for paid users

Still having issues? Contact our support team or upgrade to PRO for priority assistance.