On Windows platforms, the MySQL server can be installed as a Windows service. When installed this way, the MySQL server can be started automatically during system startup, and even restarted automatically by Windows in the event of a service failure.
The MySQL Server Instance Configuration Wizard installs the
MySQL server as a service by default, using the service name
MySQL
. If you do not wish to install the
service, uncheck the box next to the Install As
Windows Service option. You can change the
service name by picking a new service name from the drop-down
box provided or by entering a new service name into the
drop-down box.
Service names can include any legal character except forward
(/
) or backward (\
)
slashes, and must be less than 256 characters long.
If you are installing multiple versions of MySQL onto the same machine, you must choose a different service name for each version that you install. If you do not choose a different service for each installed version then the service manager information will be inconsistent and this will cause problems when you try to uninstall a previous version.
If you have already installed multiple versions using the
same service name, you must manually edit the contents of
the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
parameters within the Windows registry to update the
association of the service name with the correct server
version.
Typically, when installing multiple versions you create a
service name based on the version information. For example,
you might install MySQL 5.x as mysql5
, or
specific versions such as MySQL 5.4.0 as
mysql50400
.
To install the MySQL server as a service but not have it started automatically at startup, uncheck the box next to the Launch the MySQL Server Automatically option.