Problem after upgrading to v6.12: Redirected to install page

Hey,

So when you deleted everything and uploaded the new files your settings.php file was removed (sites/default/) and now Drupal thinks you want to do a clean install since the sites folder you kicked up doesn't have any configuration information. A easy fix is to delete the current sites folder and kick up your old sites folder. All your configuration information will be there and it should solve your issue.

FYI you're not alone... :) When I first started with Drupal I can't even begin to tell you how many times I experienced similar situations. Live and learn, I suppose.

Anyway, I agree with what everyone has said so far... Here's your ultimate goal though:

Assuming you know the database name, the database username, and the database password...
• Inside the /sites/default folder, there'll be a file called default.settings.php
• What I used to do (and there are other methods but this is the simplest to explain quickly) is download that file, open it with a text editor (Notepad++ or Kate or even plain old Notepad) and find where it says the following:
  
  $db_url = 'mysql://username:password@localhost/databasename';
$db_prefix = '';
• With that, change username to the database username, password to the database password, etc. It should now look something like this:
  
  $db_url = 'mysql://dbuser123:dbpassword4567@localhost/mydatabase';
$db_prefix = '';
• Then, save the file as settings.php and upload it to the same directory as default.settings.php (again, the /sites/default directory)

That should take care of the problem if the settings are correct (username, etc). If not, feel free to contact me and I'll help you figure it out -- either way, good luck!
:)

Jer,

First off, thanks for understanding that problems that a newbie like me is going through with this. I'm going to be posting a lot of things like this over the next few weeks so bear with me. Especially since I'm more designer than developer. Just ask Chris. He knows me all too well.

I made the changes in the settings.php file and upped. Looks like I got the right settings (Had to change 'mydatabase' as well to the proper DB name) but now I'm getting the 'Site off-line' page even though in settings.php I've got $update_free_access = FALSE;

@Jer is also correct. however, the method he outlined leaves possibility that any files used by the website are now gone. also possibly missing are any themes or modules inside the sites folder.

IF there really is a backup to work from, the simplest (typo free method), is to restore the original sites directory.

HOWEVER, that will not fix a site offline issue. you need to know user 1 username & password, the first user created. to login, browse to the user page, and login like normal.

NO clean URLs

www.mydomain.com/?q=user

clean URLs

www.myDomain.com/user

I really need help with this problem!