ok here is what i did (this time). i tried to change the password in the admin panel for the database access, and the next screen i got after hitting "save" was
Connection Problems
Sorry, SMF was unable to connect to the database. This may be caused by the server being busy. Please try again later.
can anyone help me access my cpanel or phpmyadmin to fix this? i fear i have messed something up. keep in mind i am not very php, sql, html or any thing of that sort savvy.