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2.3.4.13 The Confirmation Dialog »
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2.3.4.12. The Security Options Dialog

It is strongly recommended that you set a root password for your MySQL server, and the MySQL Configuration Wizard requires by default that you do so. If you do not wish to set a root password, uncheck the box next to the Modify Security Settings option.

To set the root password, enter the desired password into both the New root password and Confirm boxes. If you are reconfiguring an existing server, you need to enter the existing root password into the Current root password box.

To prevent root logins from across the network, check the box next to the Root may only connect from localhost option. This increases the security of your root account.

To create an anonymous user account, check the box next to the Create An Anonymous Account option. Creating an anonymous account can decrease server security and cause login and permission difficulties and is not recommended.


User Comments

Posted by Brian Harvey on March 13 2009 2:30am[Delete] [Edit]

Is it me or does the screen shot not match the description here? I believe the screen states to check here in order to enable users to login from remote machines. The text of the manual seems to be stating the opposite.

Posted by Sami AlThukair on March 20 2009 3:41am[Delete] [Edit]

Brian,

You are right. It's written here in the opposite way. I've emailed MySQL team about this.

Posted by David Oliver on May 16 2009 6:48pm[Delete] [Edit]

This dialog screenshot does not match the actual installs screenshot which requests the current password. What is the current password ? root ?

Posted by owen flatley on May 22 2009 6:47pm[Delete] [Edit]

David,

If prompted for a current pw, that is the pw associated with a previous installation.

Posted by Robert Lidral on May 25 2009 11:13pm[Delete] [Edit]

If you don't rmemeber the root password from your previous installation, you have two options:
(1) Uninstall the current and all previous installations completely and then reinstall.
(2) Reset the root password using the method described in B.1.4.1.

Posted by Jim Smith on January 15 2010 5:34pm[Delete] [Edit]

Even if you uninstall MySQL completely on Windows, it will still remember the old password somehow and prompt you for it. The dialog will display "Modify Security Settings" and prompt you for the "current root password". If you enter the wrong old password, an error will result. I spent a while trying to fix this problems. On Windows 7, you need to delete the directory called: C:\ProgramData\Mysql. C:\ProgramData is actually hidden, so you might have had problems finding this. In any event, this will help you if you have forgotten the password to your MySQL root account.

Posted by Mig Ponce on March 28 2010 4:10pm[Delete] [Edit]

After long hours installing MySQL 5.1 on Win XP and a couple of failures on the root password i finally install it.In the previous installations i do a root password that i forget.So everytime i try to re-install it prompts for the old password

Then i delete all the files of the previous installations making a search in Windows Explorer and a registry cleaning using CCleaner.

The last installation was then successfully.

Posted by Ann Dobbs on April 9 2010 10:27am[Delete] [Edit]

After uninstalling the MySQL Server from Windows 7, you may also need to delete the MySQL folders from both the installation path and from c:\Users\[your Windows user name]\AppData\Roaming. Until I did that, the configuration wizard kept asking me for a password, even after I tried the above instructions.

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