The best way to shut it down is to click the Start button, select ``Run'' and just type the following:
c:\mysql\bin\mysqladmin shutdown
This will shutdown the server properly. It make take a little bit of time because there can be a lot of cached operations not written to the hard disk.
You can set up a shortcut to start up MySQL and another one to shut it down. The ``Command line'' for the start up shortcut should be
c:\mysql\bin\mysqld
The ``Command line'' for the shut down shortcut should be
c:\mysql\bin\mysqladmin shutdown
If you place the start up shortcut inside the ``StartUp'' folder (under Programs, under Start Menu), then MySQL starts up every time you log in. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to ensure a proper shutdown when you log out. It is best to start up and shut down MySQL manually, especially if you are the only user.
An alternative is to rely on winmysqladmin to start up and
shutdown MySQL. You can use the ``Start | Run'' approach and
type in c:\mysql\bin\winmysqladmin, or set up a shortcut to it. Shortly
after winmysqladmin starts up, it becomes an icon in the
systems icon area (that looks like a traffic light). You can right click
on the icon, select your OS, then click on ``ShutDown Both'' to
stop both the administrative tool and the server.