Title: Error establishing a database connection HELP!!! Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # Error establishing a database connection HELP!!! * [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/) * My website suddenly says Error establishing a database connection and I have no idea at all what to do! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 22 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/page/2/?output_format=md) * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798350) * Contact your hosts. They could have a problem at their end. * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798351) * I was trying to backup my wordpress site at the time and I needed to change my password when accesing the MySQL database – could that be it? * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798407) * > I needed to change my password when accesing the MySQL database * You changed your database password? * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798419) * Yes. * [Mark Ratledge](https://wordpress.org/support/users/songdogtech/) * (@songdogtech) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798465) * [@ofmiceandmods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/): Update the password in wp-config.php * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798484) * But how? * [Josh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/josh401/) * (@josh401) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798486) * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password](http://codex.wordpress.org/Resetting_Your_Password) * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798496) * That doesn’t help me at all. I can’t access the admin area as when I visit the website, I can’t even access the dashboard. * [Josh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/josh401/) * (@josh401) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798500) * On the contrary… that is EXACTLY what you need. * If you read through the entire link I posted, you will notice there are other ways of accessing the information without having to log into your dashboard. * You can do it through… * 1. MySql 2. PhpMyAdmin 3. FTP 4. Emergency Password Reset Script * Since you changed your password already… you will NOT be able to log in to your admin panel. * You MUST use one of the methods mentioned above… also fully documented in the link I provided in my last post above. * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798502) * So which one of the 4 do I need? * [Josh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/josh401/) * (@josh401) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798503) * Which one are you most familiar with? * Do you have an FTP account associated with your website? * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798504) * I am not familiar with any of them. How do I find out? * [Josh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/josh401/) * (@josh401) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798506) * Okay… * Do you have access to your hosts cpanel? For example, do you know how to log into your Cpanel and access your file directories? * Thread Starter [OfMiceAndMods](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ofmiceandmods/) * (@ofmiceandmods) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798507) * The host is godaddy if that helps * [Josh](https://wordpress.org/support/users/josh401/) * (@josh401) * [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/#post-2798510) * So, you will need to log into your godaddy account via the godaddy.com webpage. * Then, once you are logged in, you will need to find where you can browse your file directories. * Here are the steps. If you get stuck, call godaddy and they can help you get your Cpanel open. * 1. From your Cpanel, open PhpMyAdmin. 2. Choose your database from the list in the left column. 3. Click the table “wp_users”. 4. Find your username in the list of entries. 5. Click “Edit”. 6. Delete whatever is in “user_pass” value, and replace it with your new password. 7. MAKE SURE to click the dropdown for“ user_pass” and select “MD5”. 8. Click the “Go” button to save changes. * Now, try to log into your websites admin panel again with the same username and your NEW password. Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 22 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Error establishing a database connection HELP!!!’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [go-daddy](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/go-daddy/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 22 replies * 5 participants * Last reply from: [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * Last activity: [13 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/error-establishing-a-database-connection-help-3/page/2/#post-2798563) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics