Back office access

[CJH]

I need some advice and help please. I am still running v1.6.0.6 while trying to prepare a new site under 1.7. This has to be unconnected (the sites are very separate), but I have lost access to back office. I have the following error appear:

[PrestaShopDatabaseException]

MySQL server has gone away

at line 635 in file classes/db/Db.php

629. 			WebserviceRequest::getInstance()->setError(500, '[SQL Error] '.$this->getMsgError().'. From '.(isset($dbg[3]['class']) ? $dbg[3]['class'] : '').'->'.$dbg[3]['function'].'() Query was : '.$sql, 97);
630. 		}
631. 		else if (_PS_DEBUG_SQL_ && $errno && !defined('PS_INSTALLATION_IN_PROGRESS'))
632. 		{
633. 			if ($sql)
634. 				throw new PrestaShopDatabaseException($this->getMsgError().'<br /><br /><pre>'.$sql.'</pre>');
635. 			throw new PrestaShopDatabaseException($this->getMsgError());
636. 		}
637. 	}
638. 
639. 	/**

 

There is more to the error information, but I'm unclear (I don't know much at all about this stuff) on whether I would be releasing sensitive information by posting it. This started a few days ago, but refreshing the page brought things back. Then the dashboard loaded but the modules did not run, and today there is no access at all, just the page of errors. I *think* that this may relate to a module, as the page opens with:

show tables like "xxxxxxxxs_slideconf"

(The XXXX is my insertion).  I think that perhaps something is referencing a module that I do not have (or is not active).

How can I start to fix this? Help anyone?

 

 

Edited October 27, 2018 by CJH
added information (see edit history)