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MySQL and Windows :: 1 Installing MySQL on Windows :: 1.3 Using the MySQL Installation Wizard :: 1.3.5 Changes Made by MySQL Installation Wizard
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1.3.5. Changes Made by MySQL Installation Wizard

Once you click the Install button, the MySQL Installation Wizard begins the installation process and makes certain changes to your system which are described in the sections that follow.

Changes to the Registry

The MySQL Installation Wizard creates one Windows registry key in a typical install situation, located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MySQL AB.

The MySQL Installation Wizard creates a key named after the major version of the server that is being installed, such as MySQL Server 5.1. It contains two string values, Location and Version. The Location string contains the path to the installation directory. In a default installation it contains C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\. The Version string contains the release number. For example, for an installation of MySQL Server 5.1.41, the key contains a value of 5.1.41.

These registry keys are used to help external tools identify the installed location of the MySQL server, preventing a complete scan of the hard-disk to determine the installation path of the MySQL server. The registry keys are not required to run the server, and if you install MySQL using the noinstall Zip archive, the registry keys are not created.

Changes to the Start Menu

The MySQL Installation Wizard creates a new entry in the Windows Start menu under a common MySQL menu heading named after the major version of MySQL that you have installed. For example, if you install MySQL 5.1, the MySQL Installation Wizard creates a MySQL Server 5.1 section in the Start menu.

The following entries are created within the new Start menu section:

  • MySQL Command Line Client: This is a shortcut to the mysql command-line client and is configured to connect as the root user. The shortcut prompts for a root user password when you connect.

  • MySQL Server Instance Config Wizard: This is a shortcut to the MySQL Configuration Wizard. Use this shortcut to configure a newly installed server, or to reconfigure an existing server.

  • MySQL Documentation: This is a link to the MySQL server documentation that is stored locally in the MySQL server installation directory. This option is not available when the MySQL server is installed using the Essentials installation package.

Changes to the File System

The MySQL Installation Wizard by default installs the MySQL 5.1 server to C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1, where Program Files is the default location for applications in your system, and 5.1 is the major version of your MySQL server. This is the recommended location for the MySQL server, replacing the former default location C:\mysql.

By default, all MySQL applications are stored in a common directory at C:\Program Files\MySQL, where Program Files is the default location for applications in your Windows installation. A typical MySQL installation on a developer machine might look like this: 

C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Workbench 5.1 OSS

This approach makes it easier to manage and maintain all MySQL applications installed on a particular system.

In MySQL 5.1.23 and earlier, the default location for the data files used by MySQL is located within the corresponding MySQL Server installation directory. For MySQL 5.1.24 and later, the default location of the data directory is the AppData directory configured for the user that installed the MySQL application.