Problem

Your SimpleScripts Drupal installation fails to update after you synchronize your SQL databases

Scenario

You used the SimpleScripts program installation service to install Drupal on the web (production server). Then you used phpMyAdmin (localhost) to export the SQL database you developed on your localhost test machine. Next, you used phpMyAdmin (production server) to import your localhost SQL database.

When you attempt to update your website, you find that

• your site updates, but you cannot login using your administrator password
• your site fails to update

Quick solution

• rename htaccess.txt, located in your root directory, to .htaccess
• synchronize your SQL databases

Detailed solution

To sync your localhost and SimpleScripts Drupal installations,

• use FTP or your CPanel file manager to login to your SimpleScripts Drupal installation
• locate htaccess.txt
  • SimpleScripts installs this file into the root-level folder
• rename htaccess.txt to .htaccess
  • Important: make sure to put a period (.) before htaccess
• use phpMyAdmin (web) to import your localhost SQL database

Point your browser to your Drupal production server, refresh your browser, and enjoy looking at your updated website.

Possible reason why SimpleScripts installs .htaccess as htaccess.txt

Because files that start with a period (.) "will not normally be visible in your FTP client," web writers should "create and save" files, such as .htaccess, on your own computer "as plain text files such as htaccess.txt." Having done this, they "can then transfer these in ASCII mode to the correct directory." Thereafter, they can use an "FTP client to rename them."

Related Notes

• "Renaming htaccess.txt to .htaccess will replace your existing .htaccess file."
• "Because you cannot see .htaccess files with your FTP client, you will be unable to delete them via FTP. Rather than removing them, you could try uploading an empty text file and renaming it to .htaccess."

Quoted materials come from .htaccess Files on Linux Hosting Accounts (external link).