phpMyAdmin - can't connect - invalid setings - ever since I added a root password - locked out
Go inside your phpMyAdmin directory inside XAMPP installation folder. There will be a file called config.inc.php. Inside that file, find this line:
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = '';
you must make sure that this field has your mysql root password (the one that you set).
PHPMYADMIN - Cannot connect: invalid settings.
I also faced similar issue but now I found a fix.
For wamp server:
IN: C:\wamp\apps\phpmyadminVERSION\config.inc.php
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPasswordRoot'] = true;
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPasswordRoot'] = false;
For xampp server:
because of xampp server had the following settings.
C:\xampp\phpMyAdmin\config.inc.php
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = ''; // which is default setting in xampp server
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = 'your password';//type your password you have changed
I had a similar problem not being able to access phpmyadmin on a testing server after changing the root password. I tried everything mentioned above, including advice from other forums, using all kinds of variations to the config files. THEN I remembered that Google Chrome has some issues working with a testing server. The reason is that Chrome has a security feature to prevent local hard drive access from a remote website - unfortunately this can cause issues in a testing environment because the server is a local hard drive. When I tried to log in to phpmyadmin with Internet Explorer it worked fine. I tried several tests of Chrome v IE9, and Chrome would not work under any configuration with the root password set. I also tested Firefox it also worked fine, the issue is only with Chrome. My advice: if you're on a testing server make sure your config file has the correct settings as described above, but if the problem continues and you're using Chrome try a different browser.
Step 1: Go to
http://localhost/security/xamppsecurity.php
Step 2: Set/Modify your password.
Step 3: Open C:\xampp\phpMyAdmin\config.inc.php using a editor.
Step 4: Check the following lines:
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['password'] = 'your_password';
// your_password = the password that you have set in Step 2.
Step 5: Make sure the following line is set to TRUE: $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true;
Step 6: Save the file, Restart MySQL from XAMPP Control Panel
Step 7: Login into phpmyadmin with root & your password.
Note: If again the same error comes, check the security page:
http://localhost/security/index.php
It will say:
The MySQL admin user root has no longer no password SECURE
PhpMyAdmin password login is enabled. SECURE
Then Restart your system, the problem will be solved.