newbie needs help with folder linking incorrectly

my folder is linking to a different file

[giga]

First of all I am a complete newbie, but i lost my programmer and i'm trying to fix a problem on my server. I logged into the server using winscp and notice that some of my folder files are linked to /var/www/ when they should be linked (like all my other folders) to /var/wwwdocs/#*$!xx.

My question is when i go to the browser it displays my page as not dispalying which i now am theorizing is become somehow the folders became linked to the /var/www/ directory. I have no idea how this happened, but I need to change them to link to the normal folder /var/wwwdocs/#*$!#*$!x. How do I go about doing this? I have an apache server. Also how in the world could this have happened on its own?...

Sorry for being such a newbie :(

[giga]

even when i create a new folder using winscp or ftp with the same name (adverstising) in the path /var/wwwdocs/advertising/

it immediately dumps the folder under /var/www/advertising/

why is this happening and how do I prevent it?

[giga]

even more bizarre when i use a anomymous proxy server i can see the webpage in question! But when i go there i get a blank page, and when i ask a friend from another state to visit it, he also recieves a blank page....

[jdMorgan]

Back up a step. You should not have to fix this if it "just happened" by itself.

Contact your hosting company, and ask them what has changed in the server configuration since you're last sure it was working.

If you "lost your programmer" under anything but absolutely-friendly circumstances however, your first priority is to change all passwords on the system, and close his/her account. You should do this anyway, unless you have an on-going maintenance agreement with this person, but if he/she is mad at you, then this is a major priority.

As for files appearing in different-than-expected paths, you are likely seeing OS "links" in operation. Files and directories can be linked, somewhat similarly to making "Shortcuts" in Windows. It may be that "/var/wwwdocs" is simply an alias name for /var/www, and /wwwdocs is just symbolically linked to /www.

Jim

[giga]

is there a way to force the symbolic links back to another path or to completely remove them?

I am not on good terms with my programmer, but we parted ways a year ago and i paid to have the servers 110% secure since. They have been fine until 2 days ago... i'd rather fix the problem first before pointing fingers. I'm going to assuming the problem is somehow on my end.

[giga]

i even make new directories and drop in a index file and cannot see the page online. This all obviously means something

[jdMorgan]

> They have been fine until 2 days ago.

Contact your host.

Jim

[giga]

my host is worthless they want $75 to even look at my rented server.

[giga]

is there another forum i should refer this question to? Also is it possible my pages are being blocked somehow at my hosts end? Its weird because some pages and subpages display and other dont. Most of the ones that dont appear to be linked to the deeper directory at /var/www/

[giga]

i solved it, the server was overloaded and i deleted some files.