Plesk login page displays error: DB query failed: Unknown error

Symptoms

Plesk login page shows one of the following error:

• PLESK_INFO: ERROR: PleskMainDBException
  DB query failed: Unknown error

• PLESK_INFO: ERROR: Exception: Unable to get administrator password: Can't decrypt data

• PLESK_INFO: ERROR: Exception: Unable to get administrator password: The system cannot find the file specified. (Error code 2)

• CONFIG_TEXT: ERROR: Zend_Db_Adapter_Exception: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied for user 'admin'@'localhost' (using password: YES)

Cause

Plesk administrator password in the Windows registry and/or Plesk SQL Server administrator password in the mysql database are corrupted/incorrect.

Resolution

• Plesk 17.8 and Plesk Obsidian

  Automatic Solution (Recommended)

  1. Download the PowerShell script to a Windows server.

  2. Unzip the file.

  3. Right-click on the file "plesk178-admin-pass-reset.ps1" and click "Run with PowerShell" to run the script.

  Manual Solution

  1. Create the psa_root user with a random password to perform further operations. Normally, this step is not necessary, since it is supposed to be executed during Plesk installation:

     C:\> plesk sbin mysqlmng_adm --inject-root

  2. Remove existing admin user from Plesk SQL:

     C:\> plesk sbin mysqlmng_adm --del-user --user-login=admin

  3. Create new admin user with random password:

     C:\> plesk sbin mysqlmng_adm --add-super-user --login=admin --password=%ADMIN_PASS% --allowed-host=localhost

  4. Update admin's password in Windows registry:

     C:\> plesk sbin psadb -u --password=%ADMIN_PASS%

• Plesk 17.5 and older

  Solution I

  First, reset Plesk administrator password in the Windows registry, then Plesk SQL Server administrator password in the mysql database

  1. Add the line "skip-grant-tables" under the [PleskSQLServer] section in the file %plesk_dir%mysql\my.ini (or %plesk_dir%mysql\data\my.ini).

  2. Start a command prompt as an Administrator and run the command below to restart the Plesk SQL Server service:

     C:\> net stop plesksqlserver && net start plesksqlserver

  3. Set new password for Plesk administrator in the Windows registry:

     C:\> "%plesk_bin%\plesksrvclient.exe" -set NEW_PASSWORD

  4. Set new password for Plesk SQL Server administrator in the mysql database:

     C:\> "%plesk_bin%\plesksrvclient.exe" -set NEW_PASSWORD true

     The command above will reset both passwords - in the Windows registry and in the mysql database, but it will not work if password in the registry is still corrupted.

  5. Remove the line "skip-grant-tables" from %plesk_dir%mysql\my.ini (or %plesk_dir%mysql\data\my.ini).

  6. Restart the Plesk SQL Server service.

  Solution II

  First, reset Plesk SQL Server administrator password in the mysql database, then Plesk administrator password in the Windows registry

  1. Add the line "skip-grant-tables" under the [PleskSQLServer] section in the file %plesk_dir%mysql\my.ini (or %plesk_dir%mysql\data\my.ini).

  2. Start a command prompt as an Administrator and run the command below to restart the Plesk SQL Server service:

  3. Find a username of the Plesk SQL Server administrator in the PLESK_DATABASE_LOGIN value in the Windows registry:

     C:\> reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Plesk\PSA Config\Config" /v PLESK_DATABASE_LOGIN
     
     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Plesk\PSA Config\Config
     PLESK_DATABASE_LOGIN REG_SZ admin

     By default it is set to admin.

  4. Log in to the mysql database on the port 8306:

     C:\> "%plesk_dir%\MySQL\bin\mysql.exe" -P8306 -Dmysql

  5. Update the password of the Plesk SQL administrator (replace NEW_PASSWORD and admin with proper values):

     C:\> UPDATE user SET Password = password('NEW_PASSWORD') WHERE User = 'admin';

  6. Remove the line "skip-grant-tables" from %plesk_dir%mysql\my.ini (or %plesk_dir%mysql\data\my.ini).

  7. Restart the Plesk SQL Server service.

  8. Set the same password as on step 5 for the Plesk administrator in the Windows registry:

     C:\> "%plesk_bin%\plesksrvclient.exe" -set NEW_PASSWORD

     OR:

     C:\> "%plesk_cli%\init_conf.exe" --set-admin-password -passwd NEW_PASSWORD

     OR:

     C:\> "%plesk_cli%\admin.exe" --set-password -passwd NEW_PASSWORD