Overview
There are several different ways to install WordPress. For example:
- Using the DreamHost WordPress installer in the panel.
- Downloading the files directly from WordPress.org and uploading them to your site.
- Using wp-cli via SSH to install directly onto the server.
This article explains how the DreamHost WordPress installer will duplicate manually-installed files and how to delete them from the server.
Manual WordPress installs
If you previously uploaded a WordPress site to your server manually, it will not display in the panel but the WordPress files will exist in your website directory. If you then use the DreamHost WordPress installer in the panel, new WordPress files will be installed normally and the old files will be appended with a timestamp.
How old files are renamed
For example, WordPress files look like this:
- index.php
- wp-login.php
- wp-settings.php
If these files already exist and you run the DreamHost WordPress installer, a timestamp will be added to the old files. For example:
- index.php.1555975213
- wp-login.php.1555975213
- wp-settings.php.1555975213
The following steps explain how to remove these duplicated files.
Removing the duplicated install files
- Log into your server via SSH.
- Navigate into your website's directory. Change example.com to your website:
[server]$ cd ~/example.com
- Run the following command to delete these duplicated files. Just change the timestamp number:
[server]$ find . -name "*.1555975213" -type f -delete
- Run ls -la and you'll see all of the duplicated files have been removed.