To make it easier to invoke MySQL programs, you can add the path
name of the MySQL
bin directory to your
PATH environment variable:
On the Windows desktop, right-click the My Computer icon, and select Properties.
Next select the Advanced tab from the System Properties menu that appears, and click the Environment Variables button.
Under System Variables, select Path, and then click the Edit button. The Edit System Variable dialogue should appear.
Place your cursor at the end of the text appearing in the
space marked Variable Value. (Use the
End key to ensure that your cursor is
positioned at the very end of the text in this space.) Then
enter the complete path name of your MySQL
bin directory (for example,
C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server
There must be a semicolon separating this path from any values present in this field.
Dismiss this dialogue, and each dialogue in turn, by clicking OK until all of the dialogues that were opened have been dismissed. You should now be able to invoke any MySQL executable program by typing its name at the DOS prompt from any directory on the system, without having to supply the path. This includes the servers, the mysql client, and all MySQL command-line utilities such as mysqladmin and mysqldump.
You should not add the MySQL
directory to your Windows
PATH if you are
running multiple MySQL servers on the same machine.
You must exercise great care when editing your system
PATH by hand; accidental deletion or
modification of any portion of the existing
PATH value can leave you with a
malfunctioning or even unusable system.