the server change was to do with allowing php to use nobody in a mail script I think

the only other module installed was a new version of sitemap, could that be messing things up?

As far as I know XOOPS uses php-mail as default mailer, maybe you can check first what mail method your system uses now?

I don't think its that, I think its this sitemap 1.25 from peak XOOPS I have turned off protector and the problems still exist, my initial assumptions must have been wrong and i can only assume something in sitemap is hogging the site.

Of course it may be the hosts but they reckon its me.

There are only two new modules on both sites, I have installed a couple of other things but they are different on each site (and both sites go down)

the two modules are sitemap 1.25
and protector 2.55

I have managed to disable protector before the site went down again, I can on ly assume its site map or the host

well thanks for all your help, somewhere along the line the macmend.comn installation has gone wrong, and if that is turned off on the server everything runs fine, as soon as it is activated it will run for an hour and then grind to a halt and crash the server taking any other sites on the server including jonathanspencer.net with it.

I have continued with this problem
HERE