MySQL database is an excellent option for storing data of any sort and size. However, it does have its little quirks and bugs that seem to pop up here and there. One of them is the infamous MySQL Error 106. Many of database administrators have had this error occur for them, but few knew how to fix it or what causes it. It is a Windows Only error, so if you are using Linux, I would suggest you skip this article and read some of our other features and editorials.

This error usually occurs if you are upgrading one version of MySQL to the next one up, ie. MySQL 4.1 to MySQL 5.0. The reason for it is that the two MySQL services are conflicting with one another and the newer one is not able to start itself up. One option is to completely remove all of the instances. However, this option only viable if you have not important data in your database. But an easier option would be to follow the instructions outlined below.

Step 1: Under your installation path for MySQL or the place where you told it to store data, open the file called mysql.err. This file can also be named youmachinename.err, depending on the installation options and the version of MySQL you had installed. Here is the path to this file on my system:

C:Program FilesMySQLMySQL Server 5.0data

The log file should have a message similar to the following one:

070501 9:45:44 InnoDB: Starting shutdown…
070501 9:45:44 InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 0 2235
070501 9:45:44 [Note] C:Program FilesMySQLMySQL Server 5.0binmysqld-nt: Shutdown complete

This error message identifies this specific problem. Follow the instructions for the next step in order to remedy this error.

Step 2: An easy step to perform, just remove two files, ib_logfile0 and ib_logfile1, which are located in the same folder.

Step 3: Restart MySQL Service

The following steps should have fixed the Error 106.

Tags | Databases