goof
 

I was trying to configur mysql but screwed it up. it wants a password , i never gave it a password.
could i reset the whole thing and start over.

Moved: This thread is more suitable in Linux-Software and has been moved accordingly to help your thread/question get the exposure it deserves.

The default password is usually blank. Have you tried it?

allison@bilbo:/etc/init.d$ mysql -u root
Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g.
Your MySQL connection id is 1 to server version: 5.0.22-Debian_0ubuntu6.06.3-log
Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer.

mysql>

mysql> use mysql;
Reading table information for completion of table and column names
You can turn off this feature to get a quicker startup with -A

Database changed
mysql>

mysql> update user set password=PASSWORD("") where User='root';
Query OK, 5 rows affected (0.00 sec)
Rows matched: 5 Changed: 5 Warnings: 0

mysql> flush privileges;
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.00 sec)

mysql> exit
Bye
allison@bilbo:/etc/init.d$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql stop
Stopping MySQL database server: mysqldSTOPPING server
from pid file /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.pid
mysqld_safe[16350]: ended
.
[1]+ Done sudo mysqld_safe --skip-grant-tables
allison@bilbo:/etc/init.d$ sudo /etc/init.d/mysql start
Starting MySQL database server: mysqld.
allison@bilbo:/etc/init.d$
mysql -u root