64 bit - Configuring a MySQL 5.1 Instance on Windows 7 Professional x64 Fails

I'm trying to set up my laptops to function as mobile development environments. Installing the software on my Linux machine and getting it configured was fairly straightforward, however I'm having trouble getting MySQL 5.1 Server installed and configured on Windows 7 Professional 64-bit. I'm currently using the Windows MSI Installer for the complete MySQL 5.1 system (as opposed to the Essentials installer also available). I've tried to install using both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of MySQL 5.1 - the same events occur in both.

I've installed both the Server Instance Configuration Wizard and Workbench and everything appears to be installed just fine. When I open the Instance Configuration Wizard, I select Detailed Configuration. On the next screen, I select Development Environment, then Multifunctional Database on the next screen. I leave the InnoDB settings unchanged. I select Manual Setting with 5 concurrent connections. I enable TCP/IP Networking on Port 3306 and Enable Strict Mode. I select the Standard Character Set. I check the boxes for Install as a Windows Service (and provide the name "MySQL") and Include the Bin Directory in Windows PATH. On the next screen, I set my root user name and password. I do not enable root access from remote machines and I also do not create an anonymous account.

On the final screen of the wizard, when I click "Execute", the first two tasks (Prepare Configuration and Write Configuration File) complete. However, when it reaches Start Service, the wizard hangs and becomes unresponsive ("Not Responding" appears in the title bar and Task Manager).

I would really like to be able to use both my Windows and Linux laptops as full-blown mobile development environments, but I can't do that without being able to run MySQL. Has anyone encountered this problem before? What options do I have to correct it?

Answer

i had this problem after un-installing and re-installing. during the MSI install, when it asks for the root password - check to see if it's asking for 'old password' in addition to a new one. If so, this is an indicator that there are old database files kicking around. I found my db-files in C:\ProgramData\MySQL. Uninstall MYSQL, nuke this directory (assuming you don't care about the database) and then re-install and you'll be good.