Troubleshooting
When something is not working: checks and fixes.
68 guides · page 1 of 4
"This account has been suspended": why it happens and how to fix it
Understand why a cPanel hosting account shows the 'Account Suspended' page: unpaid invoice, resource abuse, spam or malware, and the steps to get it reactivated.
Allow RDP port 3389 through your PC's firewall or antivirus
Your own computer's security software can block Remote Desktop to port 3389. Find the block, add a narrow exception for mstsc or TCP 3389, and keep protection switched on.
Can't log in to cPanel or WHM? Fixes for every common cause
Get back into cPanel or WHM when the login fails: wrong URL or port, password resets, firewall IP blocks after failed attempts, 2FA problems and suspended accounts.
Check banned IPs and unban an address in Fail2ban
See which IP addresses Fail2ban has banned, find out why, unban an address in one command and whitelist it so it does not happen again.
Check CPU, RAM and disk use on Windows
Use Task Manager, Resource Monitor and a few PowerShell commands to find which program is using CPU, memory or disk.
Check that Windows is listening on RDP port 3389
Confirm from inside the server that Remote Desktop is configured for port 3389, the service is running and Windows is actually listening, then fix any mismatch.
Connect to RDP port 3389 from office, hotel or school Wi-Fi
Some office, hotel and campus networks block outbound Remote Desktop traffic on port 3389. Learn how to confirm the block and the safe ways to reach your server anyway.
Domain not resolving? Troubleshoot DNS step by step
Fix DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NXDOMAIN and "server IP address could not be found" by checking registration, nameservers, A records, propagation and local DNS cache.
Enable WordPress debug mode and read the debug log
Turn on WP_DEBUG safely to find the plugin or theme behind an error: log to a private file, read debug.log, check PHP error logs in cPanel and switch it off.
Fail2ban not banning? Common causes and fixes
Fail2ban is running but attackers are never banned. Work through the usual causes, from the wrong log backend and log path to a ban action that does not fit your firewall or a custom SSH port.
Find and fix a WordPress plugin conflict
Track down the plugin or theme behind a WordPress problem with Health Check troubleshooting mode, the half-split method, logs and browser console checks.
Find and fix PHP errors using error_log on cPanel hosting
Locate PHP errors in error_log files and cPanel Errors, read fatal errors and warnings correctly, enable safe debugging and fix the most common PHP messages.
Fix "cPanel license invalid" or licence not found errors
Fix cPanel licence invalid or licence not found errors on a VPS. Check the IP on verify.cpanel.net, open outbound connections, fix DNS and time, and refresh with cpkeyclt.
Fix "Error establishing a database connection" in WordPress
Fix the WordPress database connection error: check wp-config.php credentials, the cPanel database user and privileges, repair tables and rule out server limits.
Fix "No space left on device" when the disk isn't full (inodes)
Linux says no space left on device but df -h shows free space? Use df -i to confirm inode exhaustion, find the folder with millions of files and clean it up safely.
Fix "permission denied" on the Docker socket
Fix the "permission denied while trying to connect to the Docker daemon socket" error. Add your user to the docker group, apply it without rebooting, and understand the security trade-off versus sudo.
Fix "Remote Desktop can't connect to the remote computer"
Check the server is running, test the RDP port, rule out network blocks and repair Remote Desktop settings from the browser console.
Fix "There has been a critical error on this website"
Recover from the WordPress critical error message: use the recovery mode email, find the failing plugin or theme in the logs and get back into the dashboard.
Fix "Your credentials did not work" in Remote Desktop
Fix rejected RDP logins: username format, the right password, stale saved credentials, account lockout and Remote Desktop permissions.
Fix 403 Forbidden errors on cPanel hosting
Solve 403 Forbidden on a cPanel website: missing index file, wrong permissions, .htaccess deny rules, IP Blocker entries, hotlink protection or ModSecurity blocks.
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