Can't Connect using Contribute

[Joe_FromSD]

Folks, I've used Contribute for 10 years +, and as of a few months ago I can't connect. I know this is the Dreamweaver forum but there's no one left on the Contribute forum. I use Contribute 6.5.

I can FTP to my site  using FileZilla, but that's no use to me as I know almost nothing about coding and need Contribute to edit my site. https://woodsshop.com/

WoodsShop Creative Builders, San Diego, Calif. - Creative Home Deck Design/Build. Fine-Custom Outdoo...

I'm hoping to get some help here with my connection issue. Someone who helped me update my site to modern coding last year is still able to Connect.

I got a new Win 7 computer beginning of the year but was able to edit my site for months before this connection issue started.

Can anyone help, or, is there any paid Adobe support I can turn to?

[Joe_FromSD]

Well I appreciate all of your help Folks, but I still can't log in to my Contribute. I removed the connection and tried again, using same login as my CPanel,

would it maybe help if I removed Contribute, then re installed it? I have these original installation files, serial # Etc? Which exe would I use, the grey one is a day later?

[Joe_FromSD]

so what do you think, is re installing it worth a shot?

[pziecina]

I doubt if anyone will recommend a re-install, without first warning you that if you do so you may have problems with re-authorising your installation, should it be necessary.

Because Adobe has now dropped all support for Contribute, this would also mean that should a problem arise from the re-install, it may not be possible to fix it. Unless you can find someone who has used Contribute and had the same problem as yourself, (and fixed the problem) anything as drastic as a re-install must be your decision alone.

[Joe_FromSD]

Well nothing else has worked and I can't edit my website, so am getting sort of desperate now.

[Joe_FromSD]

would anyone know of any paid support I could get from Adobe for my problem?

[pziecina]

Have you tried running the Contribute ftp server checker?

https://helpx.adobe.com/contribute/kb/contribute-ftp-server-checker.html

Also a quick search for Contribute ftp problems, does still bring up the old Adobe forum, you could post there, and have you tried the solutions in this thread -

https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1384686

[Nancy OShea]

What's the URL to your site? 

What are you trying to edit?

Contribute is dead.  The day of reckoning has probably arrived.  It's time to hire an experienced web developer to create a new site you can maintain with an online CMS.  There are several open source products like WordPress that could be used to keep costs down. 

Nancy

[pziecina]

The url is in the original post.

Although i would not recommend this to an experianced developer, (personal prejudices ) the site would probably only take a day to change to a bootstrap site, as all assets should be available to the OP.

Using flexbox would be better given the large number of images, and the ease of alignment that flexbox would offer would make it an ideal solution. However flexbox is not for an absolute beginner to development and rwd.

[Joe_FromSD]

I have well over 2,000 indexed pages. I have no idea what that would cost to be redone in Wordpress / whatever. That's why I'd like to keep using contribute. https://woodsshop.com/

WoodsShop Creative Builders, San Diego, Calif. - Creative Home Deck Design/Build. Fine-Custom Outdoo...

i've added almost all the pages over the last 10 years and would like to keep using it

Pzicina,  I ran that ftp checker but the two options are to repair or remove it and I can't find any logs for it?

yes I've been asking on the old adobe Cont. forum but these days there aren't any people there offering advice.

I can FTP to my site no problem, my issue is Contribute not accepting my login Info. Is that the same Info as when I log in to my CPanel?

[pziecina]

The ftp and cpanel login details are normally not the same.

If you can keep using a 3rd party ftp program to upload your Contribute pages, then that is probably your only real option for now.

For the future though, you should start to look into converting the sites/pages to another system, be that one you build yourself, or one someone is paid to do. The continued use of Contribute, is not something i would recommend for the future.

That decision is of course yours, but eventually it will become a necessity.

[Joe_FromSD]

Shoot, they're not the same! I don't see any way to reset the Contribute password, or retrieve it. Is there any way??

[pziecina]

Joe_FromSD  wrote

Shoot, they're not the same! I don't see any way to reset the Contribute password, or retrieve it. Is there any way??

You are asking the wrong people, no one i know of in this forum uses Contribute, and there is no support offered from anyone paid or otherwise as far as i can tell.

[Joe_FromSD]

what's so terrible is I can ftp to my site, would Contr. and my ftp login be the same?

[Nancy OShea]

Contribute needs to FTP files to your server's root directory. So yes, I imagine they should be the same.

[Nancy OShea]

You appear to have the original documentation for Contribute.  Have you read it?

Nancy

[Joe_FromSD]

No Nancy I haven't read it, my eyes glaze over when reading technical things, that's why I need to stay with contribute.

[pziecina]

The problem reading the old contribute forum posts, is with Contributes ftp. As the program is discontinued it will never be fixed.

You could try finding an old windows xp machine, and installing Contribute on that, but if you do remember it will leave you completely open to hackers, so it should never ever be used for anything but Contribute.

[Joe_FromSD]

Pci! I still have the old XP machine I used, I'll fire it up again and see if Contribute still works on it!

[Joe_FromSD]

I don't know if in Dreamweaver the ftp connection is similar to Contribute, but can I specify which port to use? I don't see that option anywhere. Been working with my Host and they said-

Joe,

I added your IP to allow for SSH connections, try setting your application to use SFTP and Port 27015 to connect.

[Nancy OShea]

You can change ports in Dreamweaver.  I don't know about Contribute.

[Joe_FromSD · Accepted solution]

OK Folks, my Host did a shared screen with me, and watched the server as I tried to login. It took him way over 1/2 hour, and after working with Adobe also we found the solution!-

Keep in mind I know nothing about these things, but a big part of the problem seemed to be Contribute not working with my https.

What my Host did-

I have updated the TLS compatibility on the server to support all version. Please try it now. Otherwise I think you would be ok to update it with http and then the server will handle the https.

so now it works and I can finally edit my site again! Can I mark my own reply as the Answer 🙂

[pziecina]

Joe_FromSD  wrote

What my Host did-

I have updated the TLS compatibility on the server to support all version. Please try it now. Otherwise I think you would be ok to update it with http and then the server will handle the https.

so now it works and I can finally edit my site again! Can I mark my own reply as the Answer 🙂

Yes, you can mark your own answer as correct, but for others reading the 'solution' I would point out that it is to contact the hosting provider and ask them to change the ftp connection settings, so that they are compatible with those allowed by Contribute.

[Preran]

I have marked your answer as Correct. Thank you for sharing the solution here. It should help us field questions from users with a similar question in the future.

Have a wonderful week,

Preran

[Nancy OShea]

The OP is not a coder which is why he's trapped in the Contribute limbo. 

I'm certain RWD is way beyond his pay grade.  He needs to hire this out.

Bottom line, must find a solution that replaces Contribute with an online CMS he can use to maintain the site well into the future.  The backend framework is irrelevant.

Nancy

[Nancy OShea]

Moving files with Filezilla is similar to moving files in your operating system's File Manager (Windows Explorer).   Local files on the left side, remote server files on the right.

Select a folder and right-click.  Select Upload.