Title: Theme causing database connection error Last modified: August 20, 2016 --- # Theme causing database connection error * Resolved [pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/) * (@pinkpaisley) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/) * Since I upgraded my WordPress install a while ago (previous upgrade, not the latest one), I’ve been getting the ‘Error establishing a database connection’ error in both the frond-end and the back-end. * – I’m using a personalized version of the Boilerplate theme. – I’m 100% certain it’s not a plugin, because I’ve disabled them all and tested in multiple browsers to avoid caching. – Repaired and optimized all databases – Changing my theme to the WP Twenty Twelve theme stopped the time-outs. But I need my current theme to work. – I’ve debugged the site and haven’t found anything that could cause it. * Does anyone have any clue as to what could be causing this? Before I build a new theme, I want to make sure I’m not missing anything. * Site can be found [here](http://paulleim.com). Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total) * [Phil](https://wordpress.org/support/users/owendevelopment/) * (@owendevelopment) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413238) * Check the theme functions.php file just to check if there is any override to database. * [jgarcia439](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jgarcia439/) * (@jgarcia439) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413306) * Check the database that you have on your server. The password of that user of database must match with the password that you have on wp-config.php file on your wordpress. * [Mark Ratledge](https://wordpress.org/support/users/songdogtech/) * (@songdogtech) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413309) * > I’ve been getting the ‘Error establishing a database connection’ error in both > the frond-end and the back-end * Is the error all the time or intermittent? If intermittent, talk to hostgator, it’s their problem; if all the time, wp-config.php got deleted or some values changed in the file or at Hostgator. * Thread Starter [pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/) * (@pinkpaisley) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413332) * > Check the theme functions.php file just to check if there is any override to > database. * What am I looking for exactly? * > Is the error all the time or intermittent? * Intermittent. MySQL panel is extremely slow for me too. The data in wp-config. php is correct. * Thread Starter [pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/) * (@pinkpaisley) * [13 years, 3 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413451) * Turns out there was a cron job triggered every time a user visited the page, so this caused the time-outs. Creating a cron job myself and disabling cron job in wp-config fixed this. To be sure I also disabled WP Super Cache and this fixed the issue. * [adewalelagos](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adewalelagos/) * (@adewalelagos) * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413489) * [@pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/), my situation is exactly thesame as yours, when i switched to 2012 theme my site works very fine and when i switch back i get the error. would you mind sharing with me how to create cron job and to disable the one in the wp-config file. am hosted on bluehost and i know how to find my way around the cpanel. * Thanks. * Thread Starter [pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/) * (@pinkpaisley) * [13 years, 2 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413491) * Just add this to your wp-config file * `define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', true)` * How to manually add a cron job differs per host. I would check with Bluehost to see if they can tell you how to do it. * [adewalelagos](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adewalelagos/) * (@adewalelagos) * [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413499) * Thanks [@pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/), i added the code above to my wp-config file and i set cron job to every 30 minutes but i still get the error, mostly when am logged in as admin. What else will you suggest i do? * Thread Starter [pinkpaisley](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pinkpaisley/) * (@pinkpaisley) * [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413500) * Do you have the WP Super Cache or any other caching plugin? And did you clear your own cache? * [adewalelagos](https://wordpress.org/support/users/adewalelagos/) * (@adewalelagos) * [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413501) * I have W3 total cache installed and i clear it regularly. * [bell.igsoft](https://wordpress.org/support/users/belligsoft/) * (@belligsoft) * [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413518) * I have also the same problem at time createing a multi site in wp. Kindly help how fix the **Error establishing a database connection.**. * [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * (@esmi) * [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413519) * As per the [Forum Welcome](http://codex.wordpress.org/Forum_Welcome#Where_To_Post), please [post your own topic](http://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting#postform). Viewing 12 replies - 1 through 12 (of 12 total) The topic ‘Theme causing database connection error’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [Error establishing a database connection](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/error-establishing-a-database-connection/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 12 replies * 7 participants * Last reply from: [esmi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/esmi/) * Last activity: [13 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/theme-causing-database-connection-error/#post-3413519) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics