GACK! Any MySQL experts out there... please help!

[ClippyHater]

Did a tremendously stupid thing. When first setting up my Gentoo system, I installed MySQL and added a password for root@localhost and root@mybox that's pretty much random characters/numbers. I wrote down the passwords until a time that I needed them (local security is of no concern here, it's at home). Now, I need them, but the paper has disappeared in what is probably someone's cleaning binge... So, I can't log on to MySQL. Now, when you're done laughing (don't worry, after cursing a bit, I chuckled too, hehe), how on earth to I clean things up and start fresh? I tried emerge unmerge mysql, then emerge mysql (after /etc/init.d/mysql stop), but I still can't get in. Please, can someone help? Thanks!

[rac]

How about something like this:

[ClippyHater]

Took a look at your suggestions, then decided to be extreme, lol...

I did yet another emerge unmerge mysql.

Then did a rm -Rf /var/lib/mysql

Then did emerge mysql.

Everything's back to great again

[rac]

BTW, in the future, you can use the makepasswd utility (one of my first ebuilds that made it into Portage) to generate random passwords, and then create ~/.my.cnf files containing them. chmod them 600, and the next time somebody throws out the little scraps of paper, you won't care.
_________________
For every higher wall, there is a taller ladder

[ClippyHater]

Very cool, thanks rac!

[Anubis]

Hmm....I'm not a big of of uninstall/re-installs (reminds me too much of windows ) so here's a way to start mysql skipping root password and then changing it:

1. First kill the server. A simple kill <pid#> will do.

2. Restart the server with:

mysqld --skip-grant-tables &

3. Enter mysql (and the mysql database) as root:

mysql -u root mysql

4. Set a new root password:

UPDATE user SET Password=PASSWORD('mynewpassword')
-> WHERE User='root';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

5. Stop the server, and restart it as you normally would.

That should do the trick quite nicely.