Title: Preparing wp-config-sample.php When Manually Upgrading
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# Preparing wp-config-sample.php When Manually Upgrading

 *  [skeezicks](https://wordpress.org/support/users/skeezicks/)
 * (@skeezicks)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/)
 * I am preparing the WP 2.2.3 files I downloaded to my computer for manual upload
   into a 2nd blog folder on my Yahoo! website and am trying to follow the Installing_Wordpress
   documents to the letter. But I’m stumped at Step 3 and need a little clarification
   before continuing.
 * Step 3 of Installing_WordPress (setting up wp-config.php) says to open wp-config-
   sample.php and enter the username and password used when the database was setup.
 * So I viewed my wp-config.php file that lives in my currently working Yahoo! blog
   and I see that the DEFINE lines for DB_USER and DB_PASSWORD are encoded (see 
   below).
 * ==========
    define(‘DB_USER’, ‘uyb_garbage’); // Your MySQL username define(‘
   DB_PASSWORD’, ‘eSGw_garbage’); // …and password define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);//
   99% chance youIf I ==========
 * If I type my actual username and password into wp-config-sample.php and then 
   upload that file into my blog as wp-config.php, haven’t I just jumbled up the
   username and password???
 * Please help me understand this.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618416)
 * Remember, in wp-config.php, you are placing your DATABASE user and password.
 * [http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php](http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php)
 *  Thread Starter [skeezicks](https://wordpress.org/support/users/skeezicks/)
 * (@skeezicks)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618419)
 * Right. Let me rephrase.
 * When I set up my database, I entered a username and password, say, ‘name’ and‘
   password’. After that, something in the setup process encoded those strings so
   that they now they read ‘BsN_Sevarp’ and ‘akSt_woent’ (examples).
 * If I change them back (which, I assume, is what I’m doing when I edit wp-config-
   sample.php and manually upload it as wp-config.php), won’t that mess up the login
   process?
 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618423)
 * No, the wp-config.php will not change your database user and password. It will
   just assume when you created the database user, that is the name and password
   you used.
 * If wp-config.php does NOT have the correct information, you will be notified 
   when you actually do the upgrade.
 * Also, you might want to read through this topic:
    [http://wordpress.org/support/topic/108745?replies=6](http://wordpress.org/support/topic/108745?replies=6)
 *  Thread Starter [skeezicks](https://wordpress.org/support/users/skeezicks/)
 * (@skeezicks)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618438)
 * Thanks Mike,
 * From your last post in that thread:
 * “You might try increasing the privileges for the database user–this user is specified
   in your blog’s wp-config.php file with the $DB_USER value. Once you determine
   the user, you will need to use phpMyAdmin to access the database ‘mysql’ and 
   the ‘user’ table. When you enter phpMyAdmin select the mysql Database on the 
   left then select the user table. Then edit record for the user you identified
   in the wp-config.php file and check Yes (or Y) for each of the privileges.”
 * I selected the “MySQL (6)” database and then selected the “user” table. The screen
   then displayed an 8-column table (FieldNames = Field, Type, Collation, Attributes,
   Null, Default, Extra, and six more columns under an Action column).
 * This looks like a table definition thingy, (can’t recall right now the proper
   nomenclature, but I recognize it from my experience with Access).
 * I looked for a record that contained the value of $db-user as contained in my
   wp-config.php file (the string there was encrypted, btw) but that value was not
   present in the user table. Just a “host” record followed by a “user” and a “password”
   record followed by other other records with which I am not yet familiar.
 * In the six-column Action field, the Change, Drop, Primary, Index, and Unique 
   icons were on, and the Fulltext icon was dimmed (it looked dimmed to me, anyway)
   for all records.
 * I didn’t see anything I recognized as pertaining to permissions in that table
   nor in any other of the MySQL (6) database so for me, I’m at an impasse. Where
   do I go from here?
 *  Thread Starter [skeezicks](https://wordpress.org/support/users/skeezicks/)
 * (@skeezicks)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618447)
 * Well I just found out where to go and what to do. You left out a few steps, namely:
 * After clicking “user” in the list of sql tables at the left of the screen, you
   are presented with a table containing several records (rows). Notice at the top
   of the screen the “Structure” tab is selected. Each row is the name of another
   table. You are looking at the structure of those tables as opposed to data they
   contain.
 * To see the actual data the tables contain, click the “Browse” tab near the top
   of the screen. The table that is then displayed shows all the users, and the 
   privileges they have, that have been entered in the User table.
 * If you want to change the privileges of one of those users, click the Edit icon(
   the little pencil) just left of the desired username and a Privilege table (for
   want of a better word) will be displayed.
 * To enable a privilege, click Y for that privilege at the right of the record;
   to disable a privilege, click N.
 * When finished changing the privileges, click the Go button, or click the Reset
   button at the bottom if you screwed everything up.
 * Anyway, that’s what I did. Did I get it right or did I blow the whole thing to
   kingdom-come!!??
 * Guess I’ll find out. I can’t even remember what I was doing that led me to this…
 *  [MichaelH](https://wordpress.org/support/users/michaelh/)
 * (@michaelh)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618483)
 * Yes changing those privileges to Yes is necessary so that the user that is specified
   in your wp-config.php file has the full rights to create and delete tables (necessary
   for some upgrades).
 *  Thread Starter [skeezicks](https://wordpress.org/support/users/skeezicks/)
 * (@skeezicks)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618636)
 * Okay, thanks.
    Two last questions for this thread.
 * 1. Getting back to the original strings I mentioned at the start of this thread,
   when and by what do the user name and password found in wp-config get encrypted?
 * 2. What other part of WP (or any other process, for that matter) actually looks
   at those encrypted strings and uses them for something?
 * Thanks for you help – I’m still plunking along and will get there sooner or later.
 *  [moshu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/moshu/)
 * (@moshu)
 * [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618659)
 * 1. That’s not a WP thing (the encryption). It happens only on your host. Ask 
   them.
    2. The wp-config is used to connect to the DB. Nothing looks at those 
   encrypted strings, as far as I know.

Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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## Tags

 * [password](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/password/)
 * [wp-config](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wp-config/)
 * [wp-config-sample](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wp-config-sample/)

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 8 replies
 * 3 participants
 * Last reply from: [moshu](https://wordpress.org/support/users/moshu/)
 * Last activity: [18 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/preparing-wp-config-samplephp-when-manually-upgrading/#post-618659)
 * Status: not resolved

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