I was installing mysql with apt-get install mysql-server (like I always did) before that I had done an apt-get update (I am using Debian 6), and when I installed I found this problem, pretty common as I see, but Ive followed all stepts and nothing have worked, Ive tried with apt-get install -f also with apt-get remove mysql-server (and common, and mysql-server-5.1) and also with apt-get purge (every packate) and later install, but nothing... I tried also dpkg-reconfigure mysql-server-5.1 apt-get install --reinstall mysql-server (all runed as Root) Still, nothing worked, any idea??? 130130 10:11:48 InnoDB: Shutdown completed; log sequence number 0 44233 Starting MySQL database server: mysqld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . failed! invoke-rc.d: initscript mysql, action "start" failed. dpkg: error processing mysql-server-5.1 (--configure): subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1 configured to not write apport reports dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of mysql-server: mysql-server depends on mysql-server-5.1; however: Package mysql-server-5.1 is not configured yet. dpkg: error processing mysql-server (--configure): dependency problems - leaving unconfigured configured to not write apport reports Errors were encountered while processing: mysql-server-5.1 mysql-server E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1) when I tried dpkg-reconfigure mysql-server-5.1 /usr/sbin/dpkg-reconfigure: mysql-server-5.1 is broken or not fully installed the case "Start" on /etc/init.d/mysql is 'start') sanity_checks; # Start daemon log_daemon_msg "Starting MySQL database server" "mysqld" if mysqld_status check_alive nowarn; then log_progress_msg "already running" log_end_msg 0 else # Could be removed during boot test -e /var/run/mysqld || install -m 755 -o mysql -g root -d /var/run/mysqld # Start MySQL! /usr/bin/mysqld_safe > /dev/null 2>&1 & # 6s was reported in #352070 to be too few when using ndbcluster for i in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14; do sleep 1 if mysqld_status check_alive nowarn ; then break; fi log_progress_msg "." done if mysqld_status check_alive warn; then log_end_msg 0 # Now start mysqlcheck or whatever the admin wants. output=$(/etc/mysql/debian-start) [ -n "$output" ] && log_action_msg "$output" else log_end_msg 1 log_failure_msg "Please take a look at the syslog" fi fi When I make mysql force-reload: Reloading MySQL database server: mysqld/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)' Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists! root@americandougnuts:/etc/init.d# root@americandougnuts:/etc/init.d# Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!