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Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin
6. The installation is about eight years old

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update 1: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Update 2: The mere presence of the Gravity Forms plugin seems to add about 9 seconds to the load time of the site. It is happening when the plugin is deactivated.

Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin
6. The installation is about eight years old

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update 1: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Update 2: The mere presence of the Gravity Forms plugin seems to add about 9 seconds to the load time of the site. It is happening when the plugin is deactivated.

Update 3: I have optimized the database to no effect.

Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update 1: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Update 2: The mere presence of the Gravity Forms plugin seems to add about 9 seconds to the load time of the site. It is happening when the plugin is deactivated.

Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin
6. The installation is about eight years old

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update 1: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Update 2: The mere presence of the Gravity Forms plugin seems to add about 9 seconds to the load time of the site. It is happening when the plugin is deactivated.

Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Over the past few months the admin pages on my wordpress multisite site (around 80 sites) have been taking around 20 seconds to load. I am running the latest version of wordpress (version 4.1).

When I renamed the plugins folder to "plugins-deactivated" the admin area returned to a usual peppy speed of three seconds. However, when I renamed the folder back to "plugins" the site returned to it's usual 20 load times. I then deactivated all of the plugins and the admin area remained at it's usual slow speed, even though the plugins were deactivated.

I deleted all of the plugins and re-uploaded them one by one - the admin slowed with each additional plugin, no matter which plugin I uploaded. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Wordpress is loading each and every single plugin whether activated or not.

My question - how can I validate this assumption, and also, how can I further diagnose the problem?

Some other facts

1. The site is a wordpress multisite with approx 80 sites
2. It is running on Windows Azure
3. The problem started in the past few months
4. All plugins are activated
5. I am running the query monitor plugin

How can I find where the slowness originates?

Update 1: I have used the Chrome Dev Tools - and about 95% of the load speed is in the initial Get request - which would seem to suggest that the problem is happening on the server, not any of the ancillary load items

Update 2: The mere presence of the Gravity Forms plugin seems to add about 9 seconds to the load time of the site. It is happening when the plugin is deactivated.