2.5.7 Upgrading MySQL under Windows

When upgrading MySQL under Windows, please follow these steps:

1. Download the latest Windows distribution of MySQL.
2. Choose a time of day with low usage, where a maintenance break is acceptable.
3. Alert the users that still are active about the maintenance break.
4. Stop the running MySQL Server (for example, with NET STOP mysql if you are running MySQL as a service, or with mysqladmin shutdown otherwise).
5. Exit the WinMySQLadmin program if it is running.
6. Run the installation script of the Windows distribution, by clicking the "Install" button in WinZip and following the installation steps of the script.
7. You may either overwrite your old MySQL installation (usually located at `C:\mysql'), or install it into a different directory, such as C:\mysql4. Overwriting the old installation is recommended.
8. The version of MySQL that is started as a service is determined by the basedir parameter in the `my.ini' file of your Windows directory (for example, C:\WINNT).
9. Restart the server (for example, with NET START mysql if you run MYSQL as a service, or by invoking mysqld directly otherwise).

Possible error situations:

A system error has occurred.
System error 1067 has occurred.
The process terminated unexpectedly.

This cryptic error means that your `my.cnf' file (by default `C:\my.cnf') contains an option that cannot be recognised by MySQL. You can verify that this is the case by trying to restart MySQL with the `my.cnf' file renamed, for example, to `my.cnf.old' to prevent the server from using it. Once you have verified it, you need to identify which option is the culprit. Create a new `my.cnf' file and move parts of the old file to it (restarting the server after you move each part) until you determine which part causes server startup to fail.

User Comments

On an XP OS with the database instaled to a NTFS partition
you'll get the error
---------
The MySql service is starting.
The MySql service could not be started.

A system error has occurred.

System error 1067 has occurred.

The process terminated unexpectedly.
--------
To resolve the problem give full acces permisions to the user SYSTEM on the directory where database it's installed

I had the same problem.
Mysql --help showed the variables and stated:
d:\mysq ta\
the system couldn't find the files. (Of course, the location doesn't exist.

I changed all \ entries in the ini file into /
( d:/mysql/data etc.)

Works like a charm

We had the same problem.
We solved it, deleting the file my.ini in c:\windows.

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