Title: Installing multisite yields "Error establishing database connection" error Last modified: August 19, 2016 --- # Installing multisite yields "Error establishing database connection" error * Resolved [Ben Dunkle](https://wordpress.org/support/users/empireoflight/) * (@empireoflight) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/) * Hi, when I install multisite I get an “Error Establishing Database Connection” error. When I attempt to log in to wp-admin, it tells me to repair the database. When I try to do that, I get this message: * wp_1_posts: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_posts’ doesn’t exist wp_1_comments: Table‘ bigwater_wp.wp_1_comments’ doesn’t exist wp_1_links: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_links’ doesn’t exist wp_1_options: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_options’ doesn’t exist wp_1_postmeta: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_postmeta’ doesn’t exist wp_1_terms: Table ‘bigwater_wp. wp_1_terms’ doesn’t exist wp_1_term_taxonomy: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_term_taxonomy’ doesn’t exist wp_1_term_relationships: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_term_relationships’ doesn’t exist wp_1_commentmeta: Table ‘bigwater_wp.wp_1_commentmeta’ doesn’t exist * It seems to have changed the table prefix from wp_ tp wp_1 I deactivated all plugins before attempting the install and followed instructions as best I could. Is this something on the server end, or is it a problem with wordpress? Please advise, thanks! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/page/2/?output_format=md) * Moderator [Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ipstenu/) * (@ipstenu) * 🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886657) * Server end. * Your SQL ID doesn’t have permissions to CREATE tables on your database. Go make sure it has full permissions (ask your host if you don’t know what that means). * Thread Starter [Ben Dunkle](https://wordpress.org/support/users/empireoflight/) * (@empireoflight) * [15 years, 4 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886665) * I looked at the user in cpanel; it had all privileges EXCEPT execute checked. I checked it, update the user, but when I check the user again it’s unchecked. Maybe that had something to do with the error… Anyway, I exported my blog, dropped all the tables, reinstalled wordpress, inported the blog xml file, and repeated the multisite install. Now it works. * [still giving](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nonegiven/) * (@nonegiven) * [15 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886975) * Interesting, I have come across exactly the same problem with one host … * Both the “Error establishing database connection” and not having the privilege to execute. * Did you ever work out what the problem was? * Moderator [Ipstenu (Mika Epstein)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ipstenu/) * (@ipstenu) * 🏳️‍🌈 Advisor and Activist * [15 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886976) * That sounds very much like a Database creation issue. That is the DB was built in such a way as permissions were restricted. * [still giving](https://wordpress.org/support/users/nonegiven/) * (@nonegiven) * [15 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886977) * I noted with our hosts that they do not give permission to the database users to ‘Execute’. * ‘Create’ is fine. * I have no idea why, techs are pretty hopeless. * _BUT_ … I made a new database and it is functional, I can create new sub-domain blogs, so that removes problems with the actually server. * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [15 years, 1 month ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886979) * Good find. 🙂 * [richoid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richoid/) * (@richoid) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886989) * Hi… I have the same problem on DreamHost. * The SQL user options are: * Select, Insert, Update, Delete, Create, Drop, Index, Alter * Is this just not going to work? * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886990) * Is there anything called “All”? Did you chekc them all and try it? Did you talk to your host? * [richoid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richoid/) * (@richoid) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886991) * They are all checked. I asked the host and they said execute is not possible, but that others have set up WP Multisite ‘within the last couple months’. * Specifically, I got WordPress working from a fresh install, followed the instructions to a ‘T’ and got this error. * If I comment out everything below `define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true);` things work * ``` define('WP_DEBUG', false); define('WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true); define( 'SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true ); $base = '/'; define( 'DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'bigcityfocus.com' ); define( 'PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/' ); define( 'SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 ); define( 'BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1 ); /* That's all, stop editing! Happy blogging. */ ``` * [richoid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richoid/) * (@richoid) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886992) * Also, the host confirmed that the wildcards are set up. * [richoid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richoid/) * (@richoid) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886993) * Maybe I’ll remove it and do the 1-click install, then do the WP MS setup. Then the db will be made by the server, instead of by my user. * [Andrea Rennick](https://wordpress.org/support/users/andrea_r/) * (@andrea_r) * [14 years, 11 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1886995) * Try it and report back. 🙂 * [Loueze](https://wordpress.org/support/users/loueze/) * (@loueze) * [14 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1887004) * Hello… Has there been any update on this? * [richoid](https://wordpress.org/support/users/richoid/) * (@richoid) * [14 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1887005) * I did what I described in the my last post, above, and it worked. I don’t remember any special details, I just deleted everything, then used the system’s 1-click install (this was on DreamHost) and it all worked when I went back through the setup sequence. * [jamie3000](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jamie3000/) * (@jamie3000) * [14 years, 7 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/#post-1887006) * I have followed this procedure exactly, as well. * I get “Error establishing a database connection” after the final step of activating the options in wp-config.php * Repair Database shows: * > wp_1_posts: Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_posts’ doesn’t exist > wp_1_comments: Table ‘gmtwp. > wp_1_comments’ doesn’t exist wp_1_links: Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_links’ doesn’t exist > wp_1_options: Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_options’ doesn’t exist wp_1_postmeta: Table‘ > gmtwp.wp_1_postmeta’ doesn’t exist wp_1_terms: Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_terms’ doesn’t > exist wp_1_term_taxonomy: Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_term_taxonomy’ doesn’t exist wp_1_term_relationships: > Table ‘gmtwp.wp_1_term_relationships’ doesn’t exist wp_1_commentmeta: Table‘ > gmtwp.wp_1_commentmeta’ doesn’t exist * My database user has, as far as I can tell, the proper database permissions: * > | GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO ‘wpuser’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY PASSWORD‘…’ > WITH GRANT OPTION | > and GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON *.* TO ‘wpuser’@’%’ WITH GRANT > OPTION * The things that bug me are: – Obviously, WordPress already created some tables using that id – There is absolutely no debugging information, even with any combination of the following: * > define(‘WP_DEBUG’, true); > define(‘WP_DEBUG_LOG’, true); define(‘WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY’, > false); define(‘SAVEQUERIES’, true); * Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!! Please help save my hair! Viewing 15 replies - 1 through 15 (of 20 total) 1 [2](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/page/2/?output_format=md) [→](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/page/2/?output_format=md) The topic ‘Installing multisite yields "Error establishing database connection" error’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [database](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/database/) * [multisite](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/multisite/) * In: [Networking WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/multisite/) * 20 replies * 10 participants * Last reply from: [kermit666](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kermit666/) * Last activity: [14 years, 6 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-multisite-yields-error-establishing-database-connection-error/page/2/#post-1887023) * Status: resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics