No UnInstall, No regedit...you're trying too hard!

[James Williams]

I found this on another site; it's REALLY easy, and you don't have to uninstall mysql or do any manual regedits.
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After banging my head against my keyboard until the S, Q, and L keys sprang out like shrapnel I finally figured out what the problem is and how to solve it.

I was using the MySQL 4.1.11 Installer on my Window XP computer. After the installation completed the installer automatically jumped into the MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard. When the wizard tried to complete the configuration the “Error: Cannot create Windows service for MySQL. Error: 0,” popped up. This is a Windows System Error.

What is happening is a preinstalled MySQL service is installed and recognized in the Windows background. Weather or not it is disabled the operating system will not allow another MySQL service to be installed. To verify this you can check the Services. Do this by clicking on the…

> “Start Menu”
> “Control Panel”
> “Administrative Tools”
> “Services”

The services are listed alphabetically. Scroll down to find MySQL. If you find it you have found your problem. (Incidentally, while I was in here I right-mouse-clicked on the service and opened properties, stopped the service and then disabled the service. The problem still didn’t go away and my head-banging-against-keyboard started up again.) The solution is to remove the service, but there is no option for that in the Services window. To delete the service you need use the command prompt. Start the command prompt by clicking on the….

> “Start Menu”
> “All Programs”
> “Accessories”
> “Command Prompt”

This will bring up the Command window. To delete the MySQL service type the following…

sc delete mysql

…and hit the enter key. If it is successful the Command Prompt window will give the following feedback.

[SC] DeleteService SUCCESS

For trivia’s sake what you communicate through the Command Prompt window when you type this is…

sc = you contact a command line program used for
communicating with the NT Service Controller
and services

delete = deletes a service from the registry

mysql = the service that gets deleted.

What you do next depend on weather MySQL is still installed. If you didn’t uninstall MySQL click on the…

> “Start Menu”
> “All Programs”
> “MySQL”
> “MySQL Server 4.1”
> “MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard”

Run through the Config Wizard. MySQL should set up with out any problems.

If you already uninstalled MySQL then run though the installer and things should work out.