Drupal 7.x

Website is on Drupal 7.82 and it uses the "Webform Protected Downloads" module to allow our customers to request download links to files in the /private folder. These downloads all stop after 300 seconds (5 mins) without any error or timeout message. The result is a partially downloaded file.

Fixing this issue is the highest priority. If this goes well, then further work is available: we want to move our Drupal 7 site away from Hostmonster and to Pantheon and upgrade our site to the latest Drupal version (9 or 10).

I'm having an problem that I don't understand and I'm very much in need of someone to help me fix it. The website is https://pendemonium.com and every page but the landing page has the following at the bottom of it. 

OK

The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.

Please contact the server administrator at [no address given] to inform them of the time this error occurred, and the actions you performed just before this error.

just got a site (www.yanaihome.com) which is Drupal 7.94, want to upgrade to the newest version, how to approach that?

some link or documentation will be great appreciated.

can it be done straight to 9.5?

Thanks,

Mike

Hello,

First some information about me. My profile will say that I have been on for 10 months, but I am actually a hard core Drupal user. I have been using Drupal since Drupal 5. I took a break at 7 due to health (worked some with 8&9), but I am stuck in a project (using 7). 
I told you that,  so that you would know I can understand you,  when you "speak" Drupal in your replies to me.

Drupal 7

I am running a Slick Carousel logo Slider for vendor logos with hyperlinks to descriptive contact pages.

There are like 800 vendor logos at this point, which is a lot. 

The site is running so slow the vendors are noticing/complaining.

I turned the block off temporarily to test it, and sure enough the site lit back up, nice and fast.

The thing is, this same carousel used to be fine. 

The customer insists a slider is the only wat they want these logos displayed. (even though is not the best way)