CRON is a pain in the you know what on Magento 1.9.x

Here's yet another possible fix for CRON problems on Magento

Use this command every 5 mins: /bin/bash /home/[cpaneluser]/public_html/cron.sh

Real live example on CLC-Online.co.uk:

*/5 ***  /bin/bash /home/clconline/public_html/cron.sh

Then in the file on FTP,  "cron.php" , find this text at around line 49:

$isShellDisabled = (stripos(PHP_OS, 'win') === false) ? $isShellDisabled : true;

After this line, add:

$isShellDisabled = true;


You can then use CRON DOCTOR and AOE SCHEDULER Extensions to test the CRON is running properly.

https://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-connect/aoe-scheduler.html
https://www.magentocommerce.com/magento-connect/cron-doctor.html

Installer links:

http://connect20.magentocommerce.com/community/Aoe_Scheduler

http://connect20.magentocommerce.com/community/Zero1_Crondoctor