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Internal Server Error 500 + Apache + GoDaddy + .htaccess

A customer website hosted at GoDaddy suddenly started displaying the message: "Internal Server Error 500."  I quickly determined the problem was with the .htaccess file.  I knew this file had been unchanged for quite some time and it was clear to me the problem was with how Apache on that specific GoDaddy server was processing the .htaccess file.  I noticed that other customer websites on other servers at GoDaddy using the same .htaccess file continued to operate normally.  The only lines in the .htaccess file were the following:

AddHandler fcgid-script .html
FCGIWrapper /usr/local/cpanel/cgi-sys/php5 .html

I replaced it with this:
AddType application/x-httpd-php5 .php5 .php4 .php .php3 .php2 .phtml .htm .html

The Internal Server Error is no longer present and PHP functionality has returned to HTML files.  However, days later, the problem recurred.

GoDaddy was unable to identify the source of the issue on their Server.  Therefore, the solution was to reset the hosting for that domain which blanks out the website and obtains a new virtual hosting account on a different Server.

Steps to reset hosting for a specific domain:
  1. Make a complete backup of all files/data associated with your website including MySQL or any other product associated with your website.

  2. Open cPanel and make note of your present Web Hosting IP Address in the upper left.

  3. Click My Account.

  4. Click Manage Your Hosting.

  5. Click Settings.

  6. Click Reset Account. 

  7. Confirm the warning on screen understanding this process deletes all files related to your website.  So you will have to upload your files back to your website after the website has been reset.  If you are using MySQL or another product, you will have to import your database and reconnect PHP to MySQL, etc.

  8. Click My Account.

  9. Click Web Hosting.

  10. Click Manage and setup the domain again.  The cPanel username and password that you define here is also your FTP username and password.

  11. Open cPanel and confirm the IP Address is now a different IP Address.

  12. FTP your files back to your web hosting account.

  13. If you are using MySQL, setup MySQL and import your database. 

  14. If needed, connect PHP code to MySQL.
 This issue has been resolved.
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