ahdgwad

March 4, 2012 12:08 PM

Wordpress Help! My homepage keeps getting redirected to the wordpress install page...I believe I changed all my database table prefix in both wp-config and phpMyAdmin but nothing is working...I am going crazy, please help.

Been at this since waking up today, I am about to tear out all my hair....

For security purposes, I want to change my database table prefix from wp_ to some other long string. So I looked up a bunch of tutorials and I changed it in my wp-config.php file and matched it in the tables in phpMyAdmin....I even did this search condition: search condition (meta_key like ‘wp_%’ ); and SELECT * FROM `thelongstringientered_usermeta` WHERE `meta_key` LIKE '%wp_%' and SELECT * FROM `thelongstringientered_options` WHERE `option_name` LIKE '%wp_%' in SQL.

To my knowledge, I changed everything from wp_ to that long string of random keys I entered into my wp-config.php file. I am pretty sure it's still a problem in the database...something is still not in alignment. I have no clue what it could be.

Please, please, help. Anyone.

posted by bluelight to Technology (6 answers total)

Stupid question: Have you tried deleting the installation files?
posted by theichibun at 12:32 PM on March 4, 2012

Here is another guide. Assuming you have a database backup, maybe you can try doing it that way. You may have missed one of the wp_ references in the database.
posted by backwards guitar at 12:36 PM on March 4, 2012

WP doesn't have installation files or a directory that blocks access like that.

Is your wp-config.php readable to the webserver? Can you check/repair tables in phpMyAdmin?
posted by holgate at 12:37 PM on March 4, 2012

Could be a cache thing. Use phpMyAdmin's built-in search to find all instances of wp_ across all tables.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:40 PM on March 4, 2012

Response by poster: Oh forgot to add, didn't download the wordpress files directly it was through simPle scriPts from bluehost. I will dO that repair and check and report back.
posted by bluelight at 1:02 PM on March 4, 2012

Response by poster: Wow OK, so I figured out the problem....I was having so much trouble with this and other features that I kept uninstalling and reinstalling wordpress via simple scripts. What I didn't realize that each time I did this, the MYSQL database username was changed in my wp-config file...which meant that I was editing all of this wp_ prefix stuff in a database that was no longer being recognized by the wp-config. Only realized this when I restarted the computer and had to log back into phpMyadmin.

I guess the lesson is to take a break and restart when I hit hair-ripping levels of frustration. Thanks for the input everyone.
posted by bluelight at 1:22 PM on March 4, 2012 [1 favorite]