Description:
Using the Windows installer to install Mysql 5.5.20.0 I've hit several issues:

1. The installer doesn't complete correctly:
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:6 - Looking for valid template
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:13 - Found valid template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:20 - Attempting to process template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:26 - Processed template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:33 - Attempting to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:40 - Configured service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:46 - Attempting to start service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Unable to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Product configuration controller finished
configuration.

2. It never choose the correct ini file, starting up the command line I got an error message about not being able to open 'my.ini'. I ended up renaming medium.ini to my.ini

3. Even though a password was entered on the installer page it was never carried through to the install. This resulted in the installation having a blank root password.

How to repeat:
1. build a fresh Windows 2008 64 bit server.

2. Download mysql-installer-5.5.20.0.msi

3. Install MySQL as a server with no client tools and watch the errors unfold.

Suggested fix:
The installer needs work, I suspect that it doesn't fully complete the install process which seems to be a major miss during testing of this installer - older MSI installers have worked fine but this newer one is broken.

This also happens with the MySQL Installer 5.5.20 on Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit.

I can not repeat this on 64-bit Windows XP. No problem with missing my.ini, no problem with root password (the one I entered is properly saved). The only problem I see is that menu shortcut for command line client does not work, but installer complained that it can not verify it during configuration process, so this is somewhat expected. Maybe that's all because I have other versions of MySQL server installed, 5.0.86, 5.1.x, 5.6.4.

I couldn't repeat on Windows 7 64-bit, same issue with short-cut with command line as Valeriy got.

I couldn't repeat on Windows 2008 64-bit too.

My solution to this issue was as follows:

Location: MySQL installer -> Installation tab

Instead of using the default Data File Path provided I used "C:\Program Files\MySQL"

This allowed the installer to sail through the final stages of the process and all is running as expected.

My OS was WS2K3 R2 Enterprise

Regards

Thank you for the fix

"
Location: MySQL installer -> Installation tab

Instead of using the default Data File Path provided 
I used "C:\Program Files\MySQL"
"

What are you guys settings? 

Windows Server R2 2008 

mysql-server-5.5-winx64:6 - Looking for valid template
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:13 - Found valid template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:20 - Attempting to process template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:26 - Processed template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:33 - Attempting to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:40 - Configured service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:46 - Attempting to start service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Unable to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Product configuration controller finished configuration.

Paths were change to C:programfiles/mySQL  

issue still persists

I cannot install MySQL 5.5 (installer 5.5.25a) under a Win7 64 bit vmware virtual machine. No matter what options I choose, when it's ready to configure the server, after I entered root password, it cannot configure. I get the following log:

mysql-server-5.5-winx64:6 - Looking for valid template
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:12 - Found valid template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:18 - Attempting to process template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:25 - Processed template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:31 - Attempting to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:37 - Configured service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:43 - Attempting to start service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Unable to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Product configuration controller finished configuration.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:6 - Looking for valid template
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:12 - Found valid template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:18 - Attempting to process template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:25 - Processed template.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:31 - Attempting to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:37 - Configured service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:43 - Attempting to start service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Unable to configure service.
mysql-server-5.5-winx64:100 - Product configuration controller finished configuration.

I have UAC disabled, tried to change install/data paths

very disappointing

Hey. I had that issue too. 

I solved it.

Run - services.msc
Looking for Mysql55 (or something like that)
Click on the Logon Tab - Change for Local System Account (Log on as)
Click on the Apply button

Now go to the General tab: Change the startup type to Automatic
Apply
At last click on the start button.

Go to the Mysql Installer and click on the next button.

It will open the workbench. Try to connect.

Hope this help.

I have had the same issue while installing mysql-installer-community-5.5.27.2. None of the solutions provided has helped me.

Finally I have uninstalled everything, closed all the involved processes and services through Windows Task Manager, removed the MySQL file from the AppData/Roaming folder.

Then I have downloaded and installed separately the MySQL Server and then the MySQL Workbench. When done in this way, no errors have appeared and everything is working fine.

Hi MySQL developers,

could it be this is a localization issue. Those who claim all work's all right: Have you tested with a non-english version of Windows?

I just tried to install MySQL on a fresh plain Win 7 Prof. (German), and it fails as all the others have described here.

services.msc shows, this EXE command:

"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\bin\mysqld" --defaults-file="C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\my.ini" MySQL55

However, on my computer (actually a virtual machine) there is no directory C:\ProgramData.

Best wishes,

   Michael

Sorry, C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\my.ini does indeed exist. ProgramData is a hidden directory, took some time to find it. (Windows is not what I normally use to run MySQL ...)

Still searching for a way to get around this bug. 

* Win 7 Prof. German with all Updates installed (and nothing else)

* MySQL Installer 5.5.27

Before I get back to Linux, a last guess an why this error occurs:

In the Windows event viewer (Ereignisanzeige in German), two errors appear when I try to start the MySQL Server (first in German, than my translation; the original English wording is probably different):

ID 3095 (NETLOGON): 
    Dieser Computer ist als Mitglied einer Arbeitsgruppe konfiguriert, 
    nicht als Mitglied einer Domäne. Der Anmeldedienst braucht bei dieser Konfiguration 
    nicht gestartet zu sein.

   This computer is configured as a member of a workgroup, not as a member 
   of a domain. In this configuration, the logon service need to be started. 
    
  ID 7001 (Service Control Manager): 
    Der Dienst "MySQL55" ist vom Dienst "Anmeldedienst" abhängig, der aufgrund 
    folgenden Fehlers nicht gestartet wurde: Der Vorgang wurde erfolgreich beendet.

    The service 'mysql55' depends on the service 'logon', which cannot be started
    because of this error: The action has been successfully completed.

---

Perhaps the MySQL installer fails, because my Windows machine is running as a workgroup member, not in a domain. Does MySQL depend on a Windows service which is only available for domain members?

---

To get around this bug, Bruno Ribeiros hint worked for me. However, as a result of the previous failure, the MySQL Server has no root password, which has to be set manually.

Conclusion: No sane person would even think about using MySQL on Windows. This was true 11 years ago when I for the first time used MySQL. I am surprised this still has not changed.

What solved for me was deleting the files ib_logfile0, ib_logfile1 and ibdata1 in
C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\data
Then restarting MySQL service.
It created new files and started ok.
See the error messages inside machine.err file in the same directory.

---- Before deleting the db files:

121210 17:20:47 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
121210 17:20:47 InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled
121210 17:20:47 InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use Windows interlocked functions
121210 17:20:47 InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.3
121210 17:20:47 InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 155.0M
121210 17:20:47 InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool
InnoDB: Error: log file .\ib_logfile0 is of different size 0 82837504 bytes
InnoDB: than specified in the .cnf file 0 81788928 bytes!
121210 17:20:47 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' init function returned error.
121210 17:20:47 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' registration as a STORAGE ENGINE failed.
121210 17:20:47 [ERROR] Unknown/unsupported storage engine: INNODB
121210 17:20:47 [ERROR] Aborting

121210 17:20:47 [Note] C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\bin\mysqld: Shutdown complete

---- After deleting the db files:

121210 17:21:58 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
121210 17:21:58 InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled
121210 17:21:58 InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use Windows interlocked functions
121210 17:21:58 InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.3
121210 17:21:58 InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 155.0M
121210 17:21:58 InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool
InnoDB: The first specified data file .\ibdata1 did not exist:
InnoDB: a new database to be created!
121210 17:21:58  InnoDB: Setting file .\ibdata1 size to 10 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
121210 17:21:58  InnoDB: Log file .\ib_logfile0 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file .\ib_logfile0 size to 78 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
121210 17:22:00  InnoDB: Log file .\ib_logfile1 did not exist: new to be created
InnoDB: Setting log file .\ib_logfile1 size to 78 MB
InnoDB: Database physically writes the file full: wait...
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer not found: creating new
InnoDB: Doublewrite buffer created
InnoDB: 127 rollback segment(s) active.
InnoDB: Creating foreign key constraint system tables
InnoDB: Foreign key constraint system tables created
121210 17:22:02  InnoDB: Waiting for the background threads to start
121210 17:22:03 InnoDB: 1.1.8 started; log sequence number 0
121210 17:22:03 [Note] Server hostname (bind-address): '0.0.0.0'; port: 3306
121210 17:22:03 [Note]   - '0.0.0.0' resolves to '0.0.0.0';
121210 17:22:03 [Note] Server socket created on IP: '0.0.0.0'.
121210 17:22:03 [Note] Event Scheduler: Loaded 0 events
121210 17:22:03 [Note] C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.5\bin\mysqld: ready for connections.
Version: '5.5.28'  socket: ''  port: 3306  MySQL Community Server (GPL)

Bruno Ribeiro was right, Thank you!!!

Hello, I'm new in the community.

I got several test databases running at XP (modified enterprise edition), Win7, Xampp for XP and Xammpp for Win7.
In my case the service tried to start as NT NETWORK PRINCIPAL account. Don't blame my if that's not exactly the name of it. 

Finally at my systems I changed service configuration to start as local system account. This solution worked at all of my test systems.

In the details of the error message there was a hint concerning a athentification problem. This made me change the account the service uses for authentification.
I guess the account used by the installer may not be defined at the systems in trouble.

I hope this is helpfull to you. 
Thanks a lot for this great free database system.

I was also struggling with these error messages. Unable to install MySQL on Windows 764 bit. In the end I tried a different port number. Guess that port (3306) must have been utilised by something else.

Installing MySQLserver 5.6.12 (under Windows Vista) with .msi, I had set serviceStart to Manual. Then, 'Configuring server':
'Attempting to start service' ... forever!
I go to ControlPanel/AdminTools/services and attempt to start MySQL56:
'Error 1067: The process terminated unexpectedly.'

Solution: I followed Bruno Ribeiro's advice [6 Aug 2012 1:50]: change service to LocalSystem and Automatic. (Maybe only one of these changes is necessary).
Then, I started the service 'by hand' successfully (no Error 1067), and... voila! server configuration proceeded successfully!

I used "MySQL 5.6" as the service name. The service (in services.msc) shows this "Path to EXE file": "C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.6\bin\mysqld" --defaults-file="C:\ProgramData\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.6\my.ini" MySQL 5.6

The error log contains:

C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.6\bin\mysqld: Too many arguments (first extra is 'MySQL').