2.3. Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows

2.3.1. MySQL Installation Layout on Microsoft Windows
2.3.2. Choosing An Installation Package
2.3.3. Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows Using MySQL Installer
2.3.4. MySQL Notifier for Microsoft Windows
2.3.5. Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows Using anoinstall Zip Archive
2.3.6. Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows MySQL Server Installation
2.3.7. Upgrading MySQL on Windows
2.3.8. Windows Postinstallation Procedures

MySQL for Microsoft Windows is available in a number of different forms. A Microsoft Windows operating system such as Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2008, or Windows Server 2012. Both 32-bit and 64-bit versions are supported. For supported platform information, see http://www.mysql.com/support/supportedplatforms/database.html.

In addition to running MySQL as a standard application, you can also run the MySQL server as a Windows service. By using a service you can monitor and control the operation of the server through the standard Windows service management tools. For more information, see Section 2.3.5.7, "Starting MySQL as a Windows Service".

Generally, you should install MySQL on Windows using an account that has administrator rights. Otherwise, you may encounter problems with certain operations such as editing the PATH environment variable or accessing the Service Control Manager. Once installed, MySQL does not need to be executed using a user with Administrator privileges.

For a list of limitations within the Windows version of MySQL, see Section E.10.6, "Windows Platform Limitations".

In addition to the MySQL Server package, you may need or want additional components to use MySQL with your application or development environment. These include, but are not limited to:

If you plan to connect to the MySQL server using ODBC, you need a Connector/ODBC driver. For more information, including installation and configuration instructions, see Section 22.1, "MySQL Connector/ODBC". But note that MySQL Installer will install and configure Connector/ODBC for you.
If you plan to use MySQL server with .NET applications, you need the Connector/Net driver. For more information, including installation and configuration instructions, see Section 22.2, "MySQL Connector/Net". But note that MySQL Installer will install and configure Connector/NET for you.

MySQL distributions for Windows can be downloaded from http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/. See Section 2.1.3, "How to Get MySQL".

MySQL for Windows is available in several distribution formats, detailed below. Generally speaking, you should use MySQL Installer. It is simpler to use than the ZIP file, and you need no additional tools to get MySQL up and running. MySQL Installer will automatically install MySQL Server, install additional MySQL products, create an options file, starts the server, and allow you to create default user accounts. For more information on choosing a package, see Section 2.3.2, "Choosing An Installation Package".

MySQL Installer. It includes MySQL Server and additional MySQL products including MySQL Workbench, MySQL Notifier, and MySQL for Excel. And MySQL Installer can also be used to upgrade these product in the future.

For instructions on installing MySQL using MySQL Installer, see Section 2.3.3, "Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows Using MySQL Installer".
Standard binary distribution format packaged as a Zip file containing all of the necessary files that you unpack into your chosen location. This package contains all of the files in the full Windows MSI Installer package, but does not include an installation program.

For instructions on installing MySQL using the Zip file, see Section 2.3.5, "Installing MySQL on Microsoft Windows Using a noinstall Zip Archive".
The source distribution contains all the code and support files for building the executables using the Visual Studio compiler system.

For instructions on building MySQL from source on Windows, see Section 2.9, "Installing MySQL from Source".

MySQL on Windows considerations:

Large Table Support

If you need tables with a size larger than 4GB, install MySQL on an NTFS or newer file system. Do not forget to use MAX_ROWS and AVG_ROW_LENGTH when you create tables. See Section 13.1.17, "CREATE TABLE Syntax".
MySQL and Virus Checking Software

Using virus scanning software such as Norton/Symantec Anti-Virus on directories containing MySQL data and temporary tables can cause issues, both in terms of the performance of MySQL and the virus-scanning software mis-identifying the contents of the files as containing spam. This is because of the fingerprinting mechanism used by the virus scanning software, and the way in which MySQL rapidly updates different files, which may be identified as a potential security risk.

After installing MySQL Server, it is recommended that you disable virus scanning on the main directory (datadir) being used to store your MySQL table data. There is usually a system built into the virus scanning software to permit certain directories to be specifically ignored during virus scanning.

In addition, by default, MySQL creates temporary files in the standard Windows temporary directory. To prevent the temporary files also being scanned, you should configure a separate temporary directory for MySQL temporary files and add this to the virus scanning exclusion list. To do this, add a configuration option for the tmpdir parameter to your my.ini configuration file. For more information, see Section 2.3.5.2, "Creating an Option File".