Error opening pma (need to retrieve raw mysql data)

[moonwalker_repeat]

I am running a new server on Mac High Sierra (not Xampp), but the old Xampp installation is still installed, just not running at the same time. I've already migrated most of my sites over to the new server with everything there running fine. I have one site for which I need the old database. Migrating databases in the past I have done using pma without trouble many times, however this time I am unable since I can't launch pma anymore. This may be because I've upgraded PHP on my system so it may be incompatible now. Clearing browser cache and cookies, and the server sessions in temp didn't fix it, so I'm suspecting php version issues.

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Error during session start; please check your PHP and/or webserver log file and configure your PHP installation properly. Also ensure that cookies are enabled in your browser.

session_start(): open(SESSION_FILE, O_RDWR) failed: Permission denied (13)

Yes, there is that ugly error again, however before offering all the standard solutions for this, please take the following information into account:

All I need is the mysql data from one site. The easiest way I can do it is using pma but if I have to get it some other way such as using mysql code I'm willing to try but my preference would be to fix pma if it's possible. Since I am going to be destroying the xampp server once I get this final data, I changed the entire Xampp folder and its contents to full read/write permissions for all just to make 100% certain it's not a permissions issue. That didn't work (obviously, or I wouldn't be here).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

EDIT: It appears the Xampp installaton I was running came with PHP5. I've upgraded to PHP7. Is there a way to possibly downgrade back to 5 just long enough to get pma running again just long enough to get the data? Not sure but I'm going to try that first. Hope I don't bust my system but I doubt it. Will be back to report how it goes...

[moonwalker_repeat]

STUPENDOUS! It appears I've found the answer to this problem. Apparently, simply running "export PATH=/usr/local/php5/bin:$PATH" in terminal allows Xampp to access the previous version of PHP. Naturally, since I changed the permissions in every file in the pma folder to world writable, pma didn't like that and threw a fit over that. Simply resetting all files back to public read only is allowing me to load the login page at least. Now if I can only find my old login info (highly likely), I should be able to complete this operation and mark this SOLVED. Back soon! (I hope.)

[Nobbie]

STUPENDOUS! It appears I've found the answer to this problem. Apparently, simply running "export PATH=/usr/local/php5/bin:$PATH" in terminal allows Xampp to access the previous version of PHP.

Is it that easy? I still dont have a Mac and neither Xampp-VM on Mac, but anyway, the influence of PATH on the PHP Version is very unlikely for Xampp and actually means, that Xampps PHP is running in so called "CGI Mode" (at least). Usually the Linux version (which has been taken for the Xampp-VM Version) does not run in CGI Mode, but in so called "Moduled Mode". In Moduled Mode, Apache includes a certain PHP Library in order to run PHP, whereas in CGI it looks the PATH for "php" executable. Hmm - strange!

Or did you change the Xampp settings for PHP?

[moonwalker_repeat]

Is it that easy?

Ha ha! No.

The command did seem to fix something (at this point I can't remember what - I've been around so many turns trying to figure things out I can't remember what that helped with specifically at this point other than it allowed me to load the pma login page without errors). Sadly, the bottom line is that when I uninstalled mysql I believe it nuked the site's database. Odd too because I could see it all once I did a quick reinstall of Xampp to repair whatever got broken during other installs to set up a different server. That did fix Xampp's pma so it could be opened, and I could see the whole database, so I exported it then didn't bother to read the file until later when other problems arose. When I finally did read it it clearly said none of the tables could be found. So the db is gone. Oh well. Start over fresh with new server, new mysql, new everything. Thank goodness there isn't much content from the old set up.

Anyway, this thread is moot for me now.

The bottom line is this: If you're going to migrate sites from Xampp to a new set up on the same machine, save all files and databases separately while xampp is still running. I didn't do that so...

It will be better now with everything fresh anyway.