Steps to reset mysql root password from mysql safe:
# service mysqld stop
# mysqld_safe –skip-grant-tables &
That should start up mysql without the need for a root password. Once in, type
>use mysql
>UPDATE user SET password=PASSWORD(‘newpass’) WHERE user=’root’;
>FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
>quit
That will reset the root password for you.
Kill all old processes to shutdown
# killall -9 mysqld_safe; killall -9 mysqld
Start it up again with
# service mysqld start
