Fixing WordPress 404 After Disk Full (WooCommerce + Thrive)

Keyword: WordPress 404 after disk full

When a server runs out of disk, writes can fail and your .htaccess (WordPress rewrites) may get truncated. Symptom: homepage works, every other URL 404s. Here’s the shortest safe recovery for WooCommerce + Thrive Themes.

1) Resave Permalinks (Regenerate Rewrites)

1. WP Admin → Settings → Permalinks → click Save (no changes).
2. If still 404, restore a minimal root .htaccess:

# WordPress baseline
Options -MultiViews
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>

Docs: WordPress uses .htaccess for pretty permalinks (WP Dev: Apache/.htaccess), Apache URL rewriting via mod_rewrite (Apache mod_rewrite).

2) Silence /.well-known/ Errors Without Breaking ACME

If logs show AH01276 “Cannot serve directory … /.well-known/”: create the folder and block listing, but allow ACME challenges:

public_html/.well-known/index.html  (empty file)

public_html/.well-known/.htaccess
RewriteEngine On
RewriteRule ^acme-challenge/ - [L]
Require all denied

Why: Apache won’t list a directory without a matching DirectoryIndex (autoindex behaviour), so adding an index stops noise, and the rule preserves Let’s Encrypt HTTP-01 challenge (Let’s Encrypt: challenge types). The error pattern you saw is the classic “No matching DirectoryIndex” from Apache’s autoindex module (Apache mod_autoindex).

3) After a Disk-Full: Quick Hygiene

• Restart PHP-FPM / clear OPcache in WHM/cPanel.
• Purge caches: Thrive page cache + any page/object cache.
• WooCommerce logs: rotate/relocate old files (they live under wp-content/uploads/wc-logs/) and review via WooCommerce → Status → Logs. Docs: WooCommerce logging.

4) Nginx/Proxy Note (If Used)

Ensure rewrites reach Apache. If Nginx fronts Apache, confirm the WordPress location rules or temporarily disable Nginx URL routing so .htaccess is respected (Apache mod_rewrite).

5) Minimal .htaccess Is Enough

For root installs that baseline is all WordPress actually needs for pretty permalinks; extra noise usually adds risk without benefit. References: WP Dev: Apache/.htaccess, Apache mod_rewrite.

Troubleshooting Checklist (60 seconds)

1. Resave permalinks → test a deep URL.
2. Drop in the baseline .htaccess (above) with 644 perms; folders 755.
3. Restart PHP-FPM; clear caches.
4. Check Site Address/WordPress Address in Settings → General.
5. Ensure index.php exists in webroot.

References

• WordPress Developer Handbook — Apache/.htaccess
• Apache HTTP Server — mod_rewrite
• Apache HTTP Server — mod_autoindex
• Let’s Encrypt — Challenge Types (HTTP-01)
• WooCommerce Developer Docs — Logging

Need help? If your rewrites still fail after this checklist, it’s usually an upstream proxy or a mangled .htaccess. We can audit your vhost and proxy rules fast.