FLUSH PRIVILEGES; Why? Initially, MySQL uses "skip-grant-tables" mode. Running FLUSH PRIVILEGES reloads the grant tables but keeps the authentication bypass active. This allows you to modify the password hash.
sc query | findstr /i "mysql" Expected output: SERVICE_NAME: MySQL80 (or MySQL57, MariaDB).
Inside the MySQL prompt:
net stop MySQL80 Critical check: Open services.msc and confirm the status is "Stopped." If it hangs on "Stopping," kill the process via Task Manager ( mysqld.exe ). Standard mysqld requires a password. We will launch a special "maintenance" version that skips the grant tables (where users/passwords live).
cd "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 8.0\bin"
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