mySQL root password not working - mysql

Question

I am working on a new project with a friend. We installed mySQL on it but eventually decided to remove it to make a fresh new installation.
I am following the tutorial on DigitalOcean to install mySQL to be eventually used on Ruby on Rails
When I re-installed it during the installation I got prompted to enter a root password and once entered, the installation finished with no errors. At some point in the tutorial it says to add the following command:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
At this point it asked my root password but it doesn't work. I would get the following message:
ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'#'localhost' (using password: YES)
I looked everywhere for a solution to my problem, this seems to occur to many people! I finally found a solution on the ubuntuforums which temporarily solved the problem.
Now I am trying to run the command:
rake db:create
after setting up my config/database.yml file as follows:
encoding: utf8
pool: 5
username: root
password: ********
host: localhost
database: app_test
socket: /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock
development:
<<: *default
database: app_development
test:
<<: *default
database: app_test
production:
<<: *default
database: app_production
username: app
password: <%= ENV['APP_DATABASE_PASSWORD'] %>
in the middle of the installation it prompts me for my db root password again due to denied access even thought it is set up on the .yml file:
Access denied for user 'root'#'localhost' (using password: YES)Please provide the root password for your MySQL installation
I enter it and get:
Couldn't create database for {"adapter"=>"mysql2", "encoding"=>"utf8",
"pool"=>5, "username"=>"root", "password"=>"******",
"host"=>"localhost", "database"=>"OApp_test",
"socket"=>"/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock"}
Then I tried to log into mysql with the command:
mysql -u root -p
and guess what? again, my root password is supposedly invalid!I am very confused...
extra info (if it is any help):
the first installation of the database that we made a few month ago and that we deleted was installed from my friends account.
I uninstalled mysql following this instructions.
if I uninstall mysql again, when I search for mysql files with the 'find a mysql' command it find a lot of files:
./var/lib/php5/modules/cgi/enabled_by_maint/mysql
./var/lib/php5/modules/apache2/disabled_by_maint/mysql
./var/lib/php5/modules/fpm/enabled_by_maint/mysql
./var/lib/php5/modules/cli/enabled_by_maint/mysql
./var/lib/php5/modules/registry/mysql
./var/lib/mysql
./var/lib/mysql/mysql
./var/log/mysql
./etc/apparmor.d/abstractions/mysql
./etc/mysql
./root/vst_install_backups/1438441474/mysql
./root/vst_install_backups/1438441474/mysql/mysql_datadir/mysql
./usr/share/bash-completion/completions/mysql
./usr/share/dbconfig-common/data/roundcube/upgrade/mysql
./usr/share/dbconfig-common/data/roundcube/install/mysql
./usr/share/dbconfig-common/internal/mysql

Answer 1

check your grants for that database
SHOW GRANTS ON app_development;
there is a difference between localhost and 127.0.0.1 make sure you have both.
If this is a new installation, you should be able to reset the password by uninstalling MySQL and installing it again. You can remove it completely with the --purge option to apt.
You can also google for password reset instructions if you have root on the OS level.