Title: WordPress database error: SELECT * FROM wp_categories
Last modified: August 18, 2016

---

# WordPress database error: SELECT * FROM wp_categories

 *  Resolved [woordenaar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/woordenaar/)
 * (@woordenaar)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/)
 * I’ve got this:
    WordPress database error: [Table ‘wisselen_eb.wp_categories’ 
   doesn’t exist] SELECT * FROM wp_categories
 * Caused by the theme I was using. Thats not the problem, problem is i get this
   error even on the write post page in the category section. How do I fix this?

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624914)
 * Makes me think you have a plugin or theme that is not 2.3 compatible or that 
   you didn’t get a complete and good upload of the 2.3 WordPress files.
 *  [Arne](https://wordpress.org/support/users/arnee/)
 * (@arnee)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624915)
 * Please note the sticky threads [about database problems](http://wordpress.org/support/topic/135564).
 *  Thread Starter [woordenaar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/woordenaar/)
 * (@woordenaar)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624934)
 * [@michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michael/) H: I already mentioned
   that its caused by the theme i use. Why is there never before mentioned that 
   you should have a 2.3 ready theme before uploading?
 * [@arnee](https://wordpress.org/support/users/arnee/): thats a thread with problems,
   I need solutions
 *  Thread Starter [woordenaar](https://wordpress.org/support/users/woordenaar/)
 * (@woordenaar)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624942)
 * Overwriting the files like the short Three Step Upgrade says doesn’t work in 
   this case. Removed all files and uploaded the files again. Now it works fine.
   Case closed. (thanx MichaelH for pointing in that direction)
 *  Moderator [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * (@otto42)
 * WordPress.org Admin
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624943)
 * > _[@michael](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michael/) H: I already mentioned
   > that its caused by the theme i use. Why is there never before mentioned that
   > you should have a 2.3 ready theme before uploading?_
 * Because if your theme had been written correctly in the first place and didn’t
   use direct database calls, then it would work fine.
 * There’s always a way to write things that will be incompatible. Themes, plugins,
   anything external to WordPress can break with *any* upgrade. There’s no way to
   know what themes will break, because there’s tens of thousands of them.
 * But for future compatibility, here’s a tip. If you see a theme that contains 
   SQL code, then it’s quite likely to break at some future point. Avoid using it.
   Plugins often use SQL code, but if they’re using that code to access normal wordpress
   tables (instead of their own tables), then they’re at risk too.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)

The topic ‘WordPress database error: SELECT * FROM wp_categories’ is closed to new
replies.

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 5 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [Samuel Wood (Otto)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/otto42/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wordpress-database-error-select-from-wp_categories/#post-624943)
 * Status: resolved

## Topics

### Topics with no replies

### Non-support topics

### Resolved topics

### Unresolved topics

### All topics