Reset MySQL Root Password
If you have mysql- or root user shell access to the linux host where your mysql is running, you can reset the password like this:
(Debian based example).
First, stop the daemon.
Second, start mysql without privileges:
#mysqld --skip-grant-tables &
Third, connect to the daemon and make changes:
#mysql
#UPDATE mysql.user SET Password=PASSWORD('NewPassword') WHERE User='root';
#FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
#quit
Now stop the daemon and start it normally:
#/etc/init.d/mysql stop
#/etc/init.d/mysql start
It might be sufficient with a simple restart too, but I like it the explicit way just to be sure.
For more information on this subject, visit the official MySQL reference:
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/5.0/en/resetting-permissions.html#resetting-permissions-unix
