# Database error when attempting to subscribe. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 6, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495 "2010-03-06T02:38:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/1 "2010-03-06T02:38:25Z")
When I try to purchase a member subscription, I click on User CP, Paid Subscriptions, select the subscription I want, then I get a database error. Is there something I’m not doing? ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/2 "2010-03-06T02:49:27Z")
I’m not in any way competent to answer your questions, but we HAVE had a disturbing number of dreaded “database errors” the last week or more. Question: did you try to subscribe more than once? IOW, did you repeat it, and still got another database error? This might help xash or Jerry. ---
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/3 "2010-03-06T04:00:29Z")
Jerry has asked our hosting company if they did anything to squeeze the resources we share with the rest of the CL servers. They did something to the Chicago Reader server last week and we’ve been getting database errors since then. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/4 "2010-03-06T04:01:08Z")
If it failed once, just try again. If it fails repeatedly, let me know. - **xash** Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/5 "2010-03-06T07:35:01Z")
> [@xash](#): > > If it failed once, just try again. If it fails repeatedly, let me know. > > - **xash** > Administrator I’ve tried three or four times since the user titles were announced. I’ll keep trying. I’ve just had another go, still no joy. I don’t get database errors at any other times while browsing the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/6 "2010-03-06T10:59:48Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:5, topic:531495”] I’ve tried three or four times since the user titles were announced. I’ll keep trying. I’ve just had another go, still no joy. I don’t get database errors at any other times while browsing the SDMB. [/QUOTE] What browser are you using? Could you try another browser? Make sure your username is in the box above the subscription menu, and the subscription you are choosing is “Straight Dope Board Membership” for $14.95 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/7 "2010-03-06T11:57:54Z")
I’ve tried IE and Chrome, I’ll try some others. My username seems to be correctly entered and I’m choosing the only option which is membership for $14.95 US. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/8 "2010-03-06T13:48:25Z")
I just wanted to chime in . I to have been getting the data base errors and also some weird : **Missing Security Token** messages. This has been mainly happening in my user CP and when responding to polls. This has been happening using Firefox, I haven’t tried any other browsers yet. ---
**Author:** ![Shadez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Shadez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadez)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/9 "2010-03-06T19:50:07Z")
> [@gravitycrash](#): > > I just wanted to chime in . I to have been getting the data base errors and also some weird : **Missing Security Token** messages. This has been mainly happening in my user CP and when responding to polls. This has been happening using Firefox, I haven’t tried any other browsers yet. Here’s [the answer](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=554590) to the security tokens issue. It’s the version of Firefox you are using. ---
**Author:** ![gravitycrash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@gravitycrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gravitycrash)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/10 "2010-03-07T05:31:01Z")
Thanks **Shadez**. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/11 "2010-03-07T12:45:14Z")
Update. I’ve tried Firefox, Chrome, and IE multiple times, every time I click on “Order” I get the database error. I would like to give you guys some money, but I guess not much will happen until after the weekend? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/12 "2010-03-07T12:53:23Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:11, topic:531495”] Update. I’ve tried Firefox, Chrome, and IE multiple times, every time I click on “Order” I get the database error. I would like to give you guys some money, but I guess not much will happen until after the weekend? [/QUOTE] I’m going to temporarily change your username to **1920**. See if that helps anything. My hunch is that maybe the quotes in the username are causing some sort of exception. Other users have successfully subscribed, so it looks like something specific with your account. Can you check now? - **xash** Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/13 "2010-03-07T13:07:29Z")
Yep, stand by. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/14 "2010-03-07T13:12:44Z")
It’s worked, I’m a member. Good hunch. Hey, if you’re in the process of changing my username anyway, and it would best to have something with out quotes, can you change it to Richard Pearse? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/15 "2010-03-07T13:21:00Z")
> [@1920](#): > > It’s worked, I’m a member. Good hunch. It’s strange that that hunch should be right, considering vBulletin should have tested this scenario. But I’m glad it worked 🙂 Otherwise we might have spent a lot of time trying all sorts of database and server side stuff, and still wouldn’t have been able to figure out your issue. > [@](#): > > Hey, if you’re in the process of changing my username anyway, and it would best to have something with out quotes, can you change it to Richard Pearse? Done. Although if you would prefer the old name, let me know and we can just do this workaround anytime you need to purchase a subscription. - **xash** Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/database-error-when-attempting-to-subscribe/531495/16 "2010-03-07T13:25:29Z")
Thanks for that. I was due for a face lift.