MySQL Bugs: #34580: "MySQL Command Line Client" windows client does not work when server not started

Bug #34580	"MySQL Command Line Client" windows client does not work when server not started
Submitted:	15 Feb 2008 8:37	Modified:	18 Feb 2008 12:12
Reporter:	Philip Stoev	Email Updates:
Status:	Verified	Impact on me:	None
Category:	MySQL Server: Command-line Clients	Severity:	S3 (Non-critical)
Version:	6.0.4, 4.1, 5.0, 5.1	OS:	Any
Assigned to:		CPU Architecture:	Any

Description:
When we install the server on Windows, we create a Start Menu group containing a shortcut called "MySQL Command Line Client". Unfortunately, clicking that icon while the server is not started produces just a briefly flashing black rectangle and no error message. Such flashing black rectangles are the novice user's worst nightmare.

Instead, in my humble opinion, we should somehow prevent the console from closing right away, giving the user the opportunity to see the error message and then hit a key to close the window. It appears that the shortcut itself can not be assigned a "do not close on exit" property, therefore the only way to fix that would be in the mysql client binary.

How to repeat:
1. Download a 6.0.4 Windows binary release (ZIP) and run setup.exe.

2. When prompted, say you do not want to run the configuration wizard. The mysqld server will thus not be started.

3. Click the "MySQL Command Line Client" shortcut the installation has created.

Suggested fix:
I would vote for having a Windows-specific behavoir which will require the user to hit a key in order to dismiss the mysql client console after an error message.

Thank you for the bug report. I am not quite sure if the bug instead could be installing category since user will call the mysql client from a dos prompt 
could open a bug report asking for the today behavior.

workaround: you can set the shortcut running the client command to be run as a parameter to cmd.exe with the  /K option. This will leave the window open even after the client terminates