How do I reset the MySQL password under Windows?

Question

When trying to restart my MySQL password I get the following output in the console (this is also the input that caused the output):

C:>"C:\MySQL\bin\mysqld" --console --init-file=C:\mysql--init.txt

111008 23:42:48 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
111008 23:42:48 InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled
111008 23:42:48 InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use Windows interlocked functions
111008 23:42:48 InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.3
111008 23:42:48 InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 45.0M
111008 23:42:48 InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool
InnoDB: Error: log file .\ib_logfile0 is of different size 0 5242880 bytes
InnoDB: than specified in the .cnf file 0 24117248 bytes!
111008 23:42:48 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' init function returned error.
111008 23:42:48 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' registration as a STORAGE ENGINE failed.

111008 23:42:48 [ERROR] Unknown/unsupported storage engine: INNODB 
111008 23:42:48 [ERROR] Aborting

111008 23:42:48 [Note] C:\MySQL\bin\mysqld: Shutdown complete

Answer 1

If you have followed the step in the manual you just need to execute the command:

C:\> C:\mysql\bin\mysqld --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt

Which automatically will reset the password (because you wrote the file with the command to do it (step 3)).

If this command doesn't work just execute the other command:

C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\bin\mysqld.exe"
        --defaults-file="C:\\Program Files\\MySQL\\MySQL Server 5.5\\my.ini"
        --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt

Answer 2

Manual says:

C.5.4.1.1. Resetting the Root Password: Windows Systems On Windows, use the following procedure to reset the password for all MySQL root accounts:

1. Log on to your system as Administrator.
2. Stop the MySQL server if it is running. For a server that is running as a Windows service, go to the Services manager: From the Start menu, select Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Services. Find the MySQL service in the list and stop it. If your server is not running as a service, you may need to use the Task Manager to force it to stop.

3. Create a text file containing the following statements. Replace the password with the password that you want to use.

   UPDATE mysql.user SET Password=PASSWORD('MyNewPass') WHERE User='root'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   

   Write the UPDATE and FLUSH statements each on a single line. The UPDATE statement resets the password for all root accounts, and the FLUSH statement tells the server to reload the grant tables into memory so that it notices the password change.

4. Save the file. For this example, the file will be named C:\mysql-init.txt.
5. Open a console window to get to the command prompt: From the Start menu, select Run, then enter cmd as the command to be run.

6. Start the MySQL server with the special --init-file option (notice that the backslash in the option value is doubled):

   C:\> C:\mysql\bin\mysqld-nt --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt 
   

   If you installed MySQL to a location other than C:\mysql, adjust the command accordingly. The server executes the contents of the file named by the --init-file option at startup, changing each root account password. You can also add the --console option to the command if you want server output to appear in the console window rather than in a log file. If you installed MySQL using the MySQL Installation Wizard, you may need to specify a --defaults-file option:

   C:\> "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.0\bin\mysqld-nt.exe" --defaults-file="C:\\Program Files\\MySQL\\MySQL Server 5.0\\my.ini" --init-file=C:\\mysql-init.txt 
   

The appropriate --defaults-file setting can be found using the Services Manager: From the Start menu, select Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, then Services. Find the MySQL service in the list, right-click it, and choose the Properties option. The Path to executable field contains the --defaults-file setting. 7. After the server has started successfully, delete C:\mysql-init.txt.

So first you have to create file as stated in point 3 and then, using a command line (Start->Run->CMD(ENTER), run mysqld-nt.exe with --init-file param pointing to that file. Remember to use full path both for mysqld-nt.exe and your created file.

Answer 3

In your case, before you can even reset the password, you need to fix the start up issue.

Note the first error listed in MySQL error log:

InnoDB: Error: log file .\ib_logfile0 is of different size 0 5242880 bytes
InnoDB: than specified in the .cnf file 0 24117248 bytes!

This means that you may have copied your database files from another location or you have edited my.cnf settings and they no longer match the real ib_logfile0 file size. Focus on this issue first.

Answer 4

I answered a question just like this in the DBA StackExchange back on Sep 26, 2011.

This person accepted my answer.

It is like a hack of my.ini and it should work for you.

UPDATE 2011-10-19 07:12 EDT

All you have to do is delete ib_logfile0 and ib_logifle1, and mysqld will cause InnoDB to regenerate the two innodb log files.

I wish had seen the error log earlier. All this time I keep helping you solve the grants issues.