For MySQL 5.5 on Windows, the default installation
directory is C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server
5.5. Some Windows users prefer to install
in C:\mysql, the directory that formerly was
used as the default. However, the layout of the subdirectories
remains the same.
All of the files are located within this parent directory, using the structure shown in the following table.
Table 2.4 Default MySQL Installation Layout for Microsoft Windows
| Directory | Contents of Directory | Notes |
|---|---|---|
bin, scripts | mysqld server, client and utility programs | |
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\MySQL\MySQL Server
5.5\ | Log files, databases (Windows XP, Windows Server 2003) | The Windows system variable %ALLUSERSPROFILE%
defaults to C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application Data |
%PROGRAMDATA%\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\ | Log files, databases (Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, and newer) | The Windows system variable %PROGRAMDATA% defaults to
C:\ProgramData |
examples | Example programs and scripts | |
include | Include (header) files | |
lib | Libraries | |
share | Miscellaneous support files, including error messages, character set files, sample configuration files, SQL for database installation |
If you install MySQL using a Windows MSI package, this package
creates and sets up the data directory that the installed server
will use, but as of MySQL 5.5.5, it also creates a pristine
“template” data directory named
data under the installation directory. This
directory can be useful when the machine will be used to run
multiple instances of MySQL: After an installation has been
performed using an MSI package, the template data directory can be
copied to set up additional MySQL instances. See
Section 5.6, “Running Multiple MySQL Instances on One Machine”.