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osCommerce

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Loading Issues / Website Offline With Mobile Data


pete2007

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A month or so ago the main website on our server was closed down (no longer needed) so we asked our host to make our other website (which uses v2.3.4) primary on our account, however they attempted to do this and had lots of problems so they reverted back the changes.
 
But now we are experiencing lots of loading issues:
 
Desktop: Which is connected via ethernet cable, occasionally I have to refresh the page a few times to bring up the website (so not that bad)
Laptop: Wifi connected, is worse, needs to be refreshed alot of the time, but still brings up the site.
Phone: My iphone 8 with wifi works fine, but using my data its very temperamental, most of the time the site doesn't load up at all, but sometimes it does.
 
I have spoken to my host about this many times and they have tryed lots of different things to fix the problem, but they have now basically said that as they cannot see the problems themselves they cannot troubleshoot.
 
Overall we've had about 10-15 customers contact us over the month who are also having the same issues, alot of them are using newer phones. However we have noticed that by resetting the internet settings on their device will give the customer access but only for a few hours then the website won't be accessible again.
 
We have tried all the usual things such as removing cookie/caches, clearing internet settings, spoken to our ISP and tried lots of things they suggest, removed any bars/restrictions from the network provider, etc but we cannot find a permanent fix.
 
I was starting to wonder if its something to do with the age of the software? Has anyone else had any issues recently with using v2.3.4?
 
Any help or advice would be most appreciated, thank you in advance.
 
Pete
 
 
 

 

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The only issue with v2.3.4 is the outdated php code, the fixes for which have been well documented on the open forum. Also the layout is not responsive. However, this does not prevent a stock installation of that version from still performing very well. From what you have written, and the fact that you say 10-15 customers are reporting issues suggests to me that your problem is with your host. 

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@pete2007You may want to test your site here. If it returns anything less than an A score, it needs to be fixed. Pay special attention to the TLS section. TLS 1.2 should be enabled and the default setting.

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For Hire: Contact me for anything you need help with for your shop: upgrading, hosting, repairs, code written, etc.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you for your replies.

I've come to a conclusion that it maybe an issue with the database.

When I try to access admin I have to refresh the page several times just to get access, but sometimes an error comes up saying 'cannot access to the database'

If I change the password to the database, are these the only places I need to update on the server?

/includes/configure.php
/admin/includes/configure.php

Thanks,
Pete

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21 minutes ago, pete2007 said:

Thank you for your replies.

I've come to a conclusion that it maybe an issue with the database.

When I try to access admin I have to refresh the page several times just to get access, but sometimes an error comes up saying 'cannot access to the database'

This does not sound like your password needs changing. Sounds like a performance issue on the hosting server. But the answer to your question is yes, those are the only 2 places needed to edit.

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This is a performance issue, right? So, have you ran any performance tests? ..like GTMetrix or pingdom? I'd also recommend using a couple of online scans for malware and viruses.

The message you're getting regarding the database means it is timing out. If you don't already have it, download, install, and run Jack's Database Optimizer addon. That should mostly clean and fix your database,.. though I don't think that this is the issue.

 

 

osCommerce: made for programmers, ...because store owners do not want to be programmers.

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=oscommerce

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Thank you for your replies.

We have done lots of tests, GTMetrix shows the site as B rating.

I've scanned the site for malware using sucuri.net and its all clear/and not blacklisted.

Regarding Jack's Database Optimizer addon, can I backup the current database then use this addon? then if anymore issues arise could I then upload the original database?

Thanks again,
Pete

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Update:

I've just done a search on Google PageSpeed Insights and on desktop we have a score of 73, but interestingly we only have a score of 58 for mobile (which we are also having loading issues for)

There are a few issues with large images which I can resolve, but the the treemap indicates the following:

ext/jquery/jquery-1.11.1.min.js

93.5 KiB
 
 
49.4 KiB
 
 
 
 
 
 
64.1 KiB
 
 
22.3 KiB
 
 
 
 
 
 
45.2 KiB
 
 
13.7 KiB
 
 
 
 
 
 
/store/osc/ext/jquery/jcarousel.js
 
20.0 KiB
 
 
16.2 KiB
 
 
 
 
 
 
18.4 KiB
 
 
10.5 KiB

Do you think its the jquery which is causing the problems?

Thanks,
Pete

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Quote

Regarding Jack's Database Optimizer addon, can I backup the current database then use this addon? then if anymore issues arise could I then upload the original database?

Yes, but check with your hosting company first because you're limited in uploading options when the database gets to be of a certain size.

 

Quote

We have done lots of tests, GTMetrix shows the site as B rating. 

Looking at the page rating alone is like looking at the book cover without ever opening the book. You only get a smidgen of information from that page score.

The other thing is that each site page performs differently. Therefore, if there is a particular page that causes the issue, then that is the one you should run a performance test on. You will not be able to test certain dynamic pages based on customer session and/or account.

When you look at the performance report, look at all of the details and at the waterfall part. That will tell you what resources are taking the longest time to load.

Aside from that, your jquery version is way, Way outdated. And, it could be part of the problem. However, before you replace it with a more updated version, I would first try other ways to resolve the page loading performance issue. Otherwise, you may add more problems to the mix when certain JS scripts stop working after the jquery upgrade. I made this jquery upgrade recently and was lucky not to have any JS issues. Though I cannot say if this will be the same for your store.

You should also ask your host about the age of your server. Every two to three years your site should be moved over to a new server. This is free, but usually has to be initiated/requested by you. Some hosting companies tend to run on thin margins and exhaust their server life. They also tend to over-stuff servers with accounts.

I saw that you are using a CDN. This too could be contributing to the problem, especially if you are not fully familiar with how a CDN works. Many people fall back on using a CDN as the “first go-to” performance issue solution. That’s a big mistake! The only time you need to use a CDN, is if you are marketing your products abroad. A CDN places cached site resources on servers in your target market country abroad to load your site faster for those who access it from that country. You absolutely do not need a CDN for local domestic sales.

More so, a CDN has a separate cache policy which is different from and overrides the cache policy of your site. This CDN cache must be cleared each time you make a technical change to your site.

I see that you’re using a carousel/slider on your site. Depending on what you’re using, I’ve seen this feature cause similar page loading technical issues in the past. Regardless of whether this feature is the culprit or not, it is absolutely horrible for conversions. If these page loading problems started after you added this carousel slider, then you know where the problem is.

 

osCommerce: made for programmers, ...because store owners do not want to be programmers.

https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=US&q=oscommerce

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Thank you for your replies.

I have found out the cause of the problem, the DNS settings weren't set up correctly, this must have changed after my host reverted the changes back.

However I will still take all your advice onboard to improve the overall speed of our website.

Thanks again,
Pete

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