Installing MySQL: Configuration

After installing MySQL I have to configure it. I have looked at both the MySQL Server Configuration Wizard Documentation and WebThang.co.uk's Tutorial for installing MySQL (I needed something a little less technical heavy to get me started and they've done a good job on tutorials).

When the window

this window

comes up I follow this sequence:
Next>Select Standard Configuration>Next>Next (Left Install As Windows Service and Launch the MySQL Server automatically on by default)>Entered my root password>Next>Execute>Finish

Now I test to see if it has been configured properly in good ol' Command Prompt
(Start>Programs>Accessories>Command Prompt)

I type in "c:/mysql/bin/mysql test" without the quotation marks on my prompt and...

then receive the following error message:
ERROR 1045 <28000>: Access denied for user 'ODBC'@'localhost'

I have no idea what this means. Going back to MySQL's "2.4.8.9. Starting the Server for the First Time" I see the suggestion to run mysqld.exe from the bin folder.

So I type in "c:/mysql/bin/mysqld. Instead of seeing a bunch of lines appear telling me something is being processed it quickly readies itself for the next prompt *blink blink*

Realizing my server is off I start Apache and attempt to run mysqld again. This time it waits for 5 or 6 seconds then readies itself for the next prompt without giving me any fanfare. It's supposed to give me fanfare. After reading 2.4.8.9 again I see that it will not show the lines I was expecting to see if I do not type "--console" at the end of the command line. That last part was hidden in section navigation on the documentation page. Maybe they should make it a little more visible.

So I look in /mysql/data/MainFrame.err (it's where all the error messages and, if you don't enter --console, diagnostic messages go. Everything I expected to see in command prompt was there.

I logged into my account by changing the directory to c:/mysql/bin/
then entering mysql -u root password ****** in Command Prompt.

mysql - Mysql.exe, the program I'm opening
"-u" - means I'm about to enter the username
root - the ultimate grandmaster username upon installation
password - I entered a password on set up so I have to put password here if I'm going to access anything
****** - I can never tell (said in the voice of Jim Carrey's Riddler)

So I've got everything configured. Now...now...what am I going to do with all this stuff?