mysql Ver 14.12 Distrib 5.0.77, for redhat-linux-gnu (i686) using readline 5.1 I need to work on MySQL about once every six months, so it's always an exciting re-learning experience ;) Anyway, I ...

Type “root” with no password, and simply try that several times until the system relents and lets you in. How does one change the root password? It’s simple enough.