Hello, in these days I came back to a very old ZP website ( v 1.4.1.6 ) in order to finally update it.
Everything was showing fine, both in the frontend and backend - I've been able to successfully launch a back-up.
However, even if I didn't touch anything, since yesterday the website doesn't show anymore and I get an error:

Quote:Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; utf8 has a deprecated constructor in /home/mhd-01/www.###.###/htdocs/zenphoto/zp-core/lib-utf8.php on line 38

I changed the version running in my hosting from php7.3 back to php5.6
Quote:Zenphoto encountered an error
MySQL Error: Zenphoto received the error The server requested authentication method unknown to the client when connecting to the database server.

Then I tried to go to php 7.0 getting the same error as before:
Quote:Deprecated: Methods with the same name as their class will not be constructors in a future version of PHP; utf8 has a deprecated constructor in /home/mhd-01/www.###.###/htdocs/zenphoto/zp-core/lib-utf8.php on line 38
Zenphoto encountered an error
MySQL Error: The PHP MySQL extensions have not been installed correctly. Please ask your administrator to add MySQL support to your PHP installation.

I couldn't find any hint searching in the forum.
Anyone has suggestions?

That the site broke may be the result of your webhost updating the server. All hosts don't provide old PHP versions anymore and start to switch them off sooner or later. Last officiall supported is currently .

Zenphoto 1.4.1.6 is from 2011 and therefore ten years old. It is expected not to run on modern servers. There is a reason why you should update frequently. It is simply not compatible with PHP 7+.

The Deprecated notices are core PHP ones and are a result of your stone age Zenphoto version.

The MySQL error results from the fact that in PHP7+ the old MySQL handler is gone which was the default on such old installs. You have to use MySQLi oder PDO. This is also a core PHP thing.

yes, the good old days are gone, when we neandertal digital could live free only with html and css...

meanwhile I've just "downgraded" the php version to 5.4 and the site is back, alive and kicking.

I understand that I must upgrade evolve from stone age to modern age, that's why I'm here now: which steps would you recommend in this case?

yes, the good old days are gone, when we neandertal digital could live free only with html and css...

I do remember these days and you still could theoretically

We actually noted everything we recommend here:
https://www.zenphoto.org/news/installation-and-upgrading/