"Fileinfo=disabled" Issues

Evening, all! Been a long while since I’ve posted here. Heck, been a long time since I used EE, but after a long stint without it, I’ve come back to it.

Working with the most current release/build, and all path settings are correct. I’ve done a ton of research on this today, and in the end, it came down to everyone advising to contact my host and have them change it.

The problem: Unable to upload images/files through the EE control panel (or delete them, for that matter). Findings indicated it was something about the “fileinfo=disabled” setting. When I contacted my host to see if they could change that for me so that I can upload files through EE, here is what they said. My hosting company is InMotion Hosting:

Thank you for contacting us we’re always happy to help. Unfortunately with this account being on a shared server, changes like that effecting the whole server are not able to be done as they will effect other customers using the server. In order to have a build of php used that includes fileinfo you would need to be on a VPS plan since a VPS is a virtual dedicated server, changes like this can be made without effecting anyone else.

Seriously? Tell me there’s a better, more economical fix for this issue that does NOT require me shelling out money that I can’t afford for a VPS plan, nevermind the fact that I just purchased Exp:resso Store for 300 big ones so that I can get my business back up and running. I’ve got a kid to put through college! LOL

Your help will be monumentally appreciated, good sirs! (And ma’ams!)

EDIT I have, since posting this, contacted several hosting companies to ask if they enable this on shared hosting servers, and the unanimous response is “NO, and NO WE WILL NOT.” This is enormously frustrating because it’s issues like this that are the reason I left EE to begin with - and now that I’ve come back to it, and invested a huge chunk of change in a module for it, I’m starting to feel as though I’ve made a mistake. Why would you purposely program in a function of a popular CMS that, apparently, limits the “little guy”? You had to have known people would have major issues with this, and that hosting companies wouldn’t allow for it. I genuinely hope that there’s a way to get around this without having to A) fork over money I don’t have for a VPS with my host, or B) scrap EE entirely….again - and I am definitely NOT willing to do option A.

Again, thank you for any useful insight that you can provide!

Kind Regards, Cher