Resolving the White Screen of Death After Installing JupiterX

When you're confronted with a white screen after activating the JupiterX theme, it's not only unnerving but can also leave you at a loss for what to do next. Known as the 'White Screen of Death' (WSOD), this problem occurs when there's a PHP error on your site, and it most often means that WordPress is suppressing the error message for security reasons. Don't worry, though; this is a fixable issue.

Possible Causes of the WSOD

Here are some common triggers for the WSOD:

• Plugin Conflicts: Incompatibility between plugins and themes can cause issues.
• Theme Issues: Corrupt files or incomplete uploads can be problematic.
• Memory Limits: Insufficient PHP memory limits set by your hosting environment.
• Server Configuration: Incorrect settings on your web server.

Troubleshooting the WSOD

Plugins

Plugin conflicts are common culprits behind the WSOD.

• If You Can Access WP-Admin:
  • Deactivate all plugins. If this resolves the issue, reactivate plugins one by one to identify the problematic plugin.
• If You Can't Access WP-Admin:
  • Use FTP to rename the /wp-content/plugins  directory (e.g., to plugins.bak ). This deactivates all plugins.

Themes

An incomplete theme upload or memory limitations can also lead to the WSOD.

• If You Can Access WP-Admin:
  • Switch to a default WordPress theme, deactivate all plugins, and then retry installing JupiterX via FTP, ensuring all files are correctly transferred.
• If You Can't Access WP-Admin:
  • Use FTP to remove the JupiterX theme entirely from /wp-content/themes . This will force WordPress to revert to a default theme.

System Status and Memory Limits

• Verify your system's memory limits on the System Status page. Request your host to increase the memory_limit  to 256MB at least or ideally 512MB.

Other Tips and Solutions

• Check Your Files: A misplaced blank space in functions.php  or wp-config.php  can cause a WSOD. Check these files for extra whitespace, especially at the end of the file.
• File Permissions: Verify that directories have the permission of 755 and files 644 to prevent access issues.
• Multiple Conflicting Plugins: Sometimes more than one plugin may cause the issue, even if they're not active simultaneously. Reactivate them cautiously.
• Check Error Logs: Your server logs can provide invaluable insights into what caused the WSOD. Check your hosting control panel or consult with your hosting provider to access these logs.
• Validation: Run your PHP through a validator before saving changes to catch simple mistakes.

PHP Configuration Recommendations:

For optimal functionality, your server's PHP should be configured with the following limits:

max_execution_time : 180
memory_limit : 256M (512M is recommended)
post_max_size : 32M
upload_max_filesize : 64M

You can verify your PHP configuration limits by navigating to WordPress Dashboard > Tools > Site Health. For more detailed adjustments, contact your hosting provider.

The WSOD can be a significant roadblock, but with these tips, you should be back up and running in no time. If you exhaust all these options and the issue remains, reach out to our support for further assistance. With a calm approach and proper troubleshooting, even the most daunting instance of the WSOD can be resolved.