Unable to start MYSQL on windows 7 (5 replies)

I had installed MySQL Server 5.1 and had been successfully using it until all of a sudden I am not able to start it.

Trying to start it from the comman line, I get:


c:\>"C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqld.exe" -- console
101116 10:45:14 [Warning] '--default-character-set' is deprecated and will be re
moved in a future release. Please use '--character-set-server' instead.
101116 10:45:14 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
101116 10:45:14 InnoDB: Operating system error number 5 in a file operation.
InnoDB: The error means mysqld does not have the access rights to
InnoDB: the directory. It may also be you have created a subdirectory
InnoDB: of the same name as a data file.
InnoDB: File name .\ibdata1
InnoDB: File operation call: 'open'.
InnoDB: Cannot continue operation.

This is what I see in the error log: (Have I lost my data?)

101116 10:42:15 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
InnoDB: Error: auto-extending data file .\ibdata1 is of a different size
InnoDB: 0 pages (rounded down to MB) than specified in the .cnf file:
InnoDB: initial 640 pages, max 0 (relevant if non-zero) pages!
InnoDB: Could not open or create data files.
InnoDB: If you tried to add new data files, and it failed here,
InnoDB: you should now edit innodb_data_file_path in my.cnf back
InnoDB: to what it was, and remove the new ibdata files InnoDB created
InnoDB: in this failed attempt. InnoDB only wrote those files full of
InnoDB: zeros, but did not yet use them in any way. But be careful: do not
InnoDB: remove old data files which contain your precious data!
101116 10:42:15 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' init function returned error.
101116 10:42:15 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' registration as a STORAGE ENGINE failed.
101116 10:42:15 [ERROR] Unknown/unsupported table type: INNODB
101116 10:42:15 [ERROR] Aborting

101116 10:42:15 [Note] C:\Program Files\MySQL\MySQL Server 5.1\bin\mysqld: Shutdown complete

NOTE: I am a newbie