Cannot delete files/folders in FTP

Website: katankin.com

Please help me if you can! Yesterday, while trying to update my version of Wordpress and making some edits to my site, I suddenly got the white screen saying there had been a fatal error. No email from Infinity, although I was told there would be one…
I tried deactivating all my plugins via FTP, but this didn’t help.
So I tried to delete all the themes in my themes folder, to force a default theme in case the theme was the culprit. But all I get is this error message, every time I try to delete either a theme folder, or a file in FTP.

What can I do?! TIA

Welcome, @katankin!

I see you have been trying to troubleshoot in the background, good job!

Can you please try using FileZilla FTP software?

Thanks!

3 Likes

Thanks so much for the quick reply Greenreader.
I have just downloaded Filezilla to my Mac, but can’t find any info on what to do from this pount. Is there a tutorial/guide you can link me please?

Ok, I figured it out. Could not download any of my themes, so resorted to simply deleting them all. My site still comes up with a fatal error :frowning:

Here is the log from FileZilla, Please let me know if you have any ideas for what to do next. I only left the default themes in the theme folder.

Log from the attempted download:

Response: 257 /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/mixin is your current location
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/mixin/_mixin.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules successful
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_sidebar.scss
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_scroll-up.scss
Status: Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site…
Command: CWD /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules
Response: 250 OK. Current directory is /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules
Command: PWD
Response: 257 /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules is your current location
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_sidebar.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_modules.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_modules.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Command: CWD /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules
Response: 250 OK. Current directory is /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules
Command: PWD
Response: 257 /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules is your current location
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_scroll-up.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_content.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_content.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_media.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_media.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_clearings.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_clearings.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_captions.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_captions.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_breadcrumbs.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_breadcrumbs.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_accessibility.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_accessibility.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/modules/_alignments.scss
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/modules/_alignments.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site successful
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/_site.scss
Status: Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary…
Command: CWD /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site
Response: 250 OK. Current directory is /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site
Command: PWD
Response: 257 /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site is your current location
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/site/_site.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error
Status: Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary successful
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary/_posts-and-pages.scss
Status: Starting download of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary/_comments.scss
Status: Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/secondary…
Command: CWD /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary
Response: 250 OK. Current directory is /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary
Command: PWD
Response: 257 /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/abletone/sass/site/primary is your current location
Error: Could not open ‘/bin/abletone/sass/site/primary/_posts-and-pages.scss’ for writing.
Error: Critical file transfer error

Partial Log from delete action:

|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/images/layouts successful|
|Status: |Deleting 14 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/images/layouts|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js successful|
|Status: |Deleting 2 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js/admin…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js/admin successful|
|Status: |Deleting 12 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/assets/js/admin|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc successful|
|Status: |Deleting 6 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/compat…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/compat successful|
|Status: |Deleting 7 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/compat|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/customizer…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/customizer successful|
|Status: |Deleting 5 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/inc/customizer|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/languages…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/languages successful|
|Status: |Deleting 30 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/languages|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates successful|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts successful|
|Status: |Deleting 10 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts/loop…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts/loop successful|
|Status: |Deleting 9 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/parts/loop|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce successful|
|Status: |Deleting /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce/404.php|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce/loop…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce/loop successful|
|Status: |Deleting /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/primer/templates/woocommerce/loop/pagination.php|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha successful|
|Status: |Deleting 4 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/img…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/img successful|
|Status: |Deleting 2 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/img|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc successful|
|Status: |Deleting /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc/defaults.php|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc/magic-mouse…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc/magic-mouse successful|
|Status: |Deleting 4 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/inc/magic-mouse|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/js…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/js successful|
|Status: |Deleting 2 files from /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/js|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/languages…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/languages successful|
|Status: |Deleting /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes/purusha/languages/purusha.pot|
|Status: |Retrieving directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes…|
|Status: |Directory listing of /katankin.com/htdocs/wp-content/themes successful|
|Response: |421 Timeout - try typing a little faster next time|
|Error: |GnuTLS error -110 in gnutls_record_recv: The TLS connection was non-properly terminated.|
|Status: |Server did not properly shut down TLS connection|
|Error: |Could not read from socket: ECONNABORTED - Connection aborted|
|Error: |Disconnected from server|

FTP seems to be working fine based on the logs you shared. To download files in FileZilla, just open the directory on your computer you want to download them to on the left panel, and drag and drop from the right one. Use the online file manager to download files is not recommended, as it does not work for large or many files.

You can follow the guide below about the error message on your website.

The email is actually supposed to come from your website, but since the PHP main() function is not supported here, and you have not setup SMTP on your site, you did not receive it, it’s not that big of a deal though.

2 Likes

Thank you. I started following the process of debugging, and changed wp-debug to true in the wp-config.php file, as per this guide. It says tot hen refresh your website, and you should see the error message telling you which plugin/theme is responsible. My site still doesn’t load, I just get the white screen and fatal error message. Any other tips?

I have also followed the guide to manually reset the theme to default theme twenty twenty-one via myPHPadmin - still no dice :frowning:
It is installed and the only theme left in my database


Screen Shot 2022-01-09 at 12.12.21 pm

If you can make a backup of your Wordpress database, do so. Then, reinstall Wordpress from Softaculous, specifically telling which database to use.

I hope this works. If not, don’t hesitate to reach back out.

4 Likes

How about this?

2 Likes

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