Fatal Error when updating from 2.11 to 3.5

[Chris]

Hi guys,

I'm quite new to Contao, but have been asked to help this website (ywam-fmi.org) move from 2.11 to 3.5.
I' ve made a test subdomain and installed a copy of the live database (MySQL).
Then I installed 3.5.2. from the zip using ftp.
I run the install.php and then (after entering the necessary database details), it wants to upgrade the database step by step.
After clicking on "Run version update 3.0 - step 3", this error is shown:

Fatal error: Uncaught exception Exception with message Query error: Table 'd01f245b.tl_user' doesn't exist (SHOW FULL COLUMNS FROM tl_user) thrown in system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database/Statement.php on line 295
#0 system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database.php(207): Contao\Database\Statement->query('SHOW FULL COLUM...')
#1 system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database/Mysql.php(131): Contao\Database->query('SHOW FULL COLUM...')
#2 system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database.php(300): Contao\Database\Mysql->list_fields('tl_user')
#3 system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database.php(322): Contao\Database->listFields('tl_user', true)
#4 system/modules/core/library/Contao/Database/Updater.php(745): Contao\Database->fieldExists('filemounts', 'tl_user', true)
#5 system/modules/core/controllers/BackendInstall.php(1060): Contao\Database\Updater->updateFileTreeFields()
#6 system/modules/core/controllers/BackendInstall.php(508): Contao\BackendInstall->update300()
#7 system/modules/core/controllers/BackendInstall.php(169): Contao\BackendInstall->runDatabaseUpdates()
#8 contao/install.php(24): Contao\BackendInstall->run()
#9 {main}

I did search the forum first, but couldn't find anything that was related enough to give me a hint.
I understand that some table is missing, and my guess is that it's related to the fact that i made a copy of the original database (which had a different 'name').
But I want it to upgrade this test/copy database, and not my live database!

Any suggestions?

[Andreas]

tl_user is a table in every Contao version. Maybe you deleted it accidentally? Try to locate it with phpmyadmin.

And yes, if you set the DB connection to the new copy with the install tool, you're already working with the copy.

[Chris]

Thanks Andreas.

That led me in the right direction.
The copying of the database probably suffered from a hick-up in PHPMyadmin.
More tables were missing.
Re-copied and the update process runs fine.

[Andreas]

That's nice . And don't forget the special update process from 2 to 3 due to the new DBAFS in Contao 3 where file resources are handled via the DB. /tl_files then also changes to /files.