title: How to allow MySQL on Windows Server for external remote access?
body: <p>i have installed xampp on my windows server 2008 R2. I'm running a script there that stores me data over the day. Now i want to retrieve the data from my own computer or just external by connecting the database via mysql_connect("hostname","username","pw"). after some research i have got told that i have to commend</p>
  
  <pre><code>&gt; [...]
  &gt; #bind-address = 127.0.0.1
  &gt; #skip-networking 
    [...]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>in /etc/mysql/my.cnf</p>
  
  <p>didn't find the my.cf file in mysql but found one in xampp/mysql/bin/my.ini .
  But when i opened the file i found the lines even commented so hadn't got to change anything..... strange.</p>
  
  <p>then i got told to create a new user with the host setted %. So i did. now i tried to acces the database on my pc (xampp) but when i want to connect the database, i just get the error message, that the connection failured.
  Where is the mistake ?</p>
  
  <p>thanks </p>
  
  <p>edit:</p>
  
  <p>thats howi exactly connect</p>
  
  <pre><code>$connection=mysql_connect("hostname","usrname","password")or die(mysql_error());
  mysql_select_db("dbname")or die(mysql_error());
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and the error message i get is german you can trabslate.</p>
  
  <p>Warning: mysql_connect(): Ein Verbindungsversuch ist fehlgeschlagen, da die Gegenstelle nach einer bestimmten Zeitspanne nicht richtig reagiert hat, oder die hergestellte Verbindung war fehlerhaft, da der verbundene Host nicht reagiert hat. in C:\xampp\htdocs\tickerdata\get.php on line 4</p>
  
  <p>just means as much as connection failured because remote didnt react in certain time period or connection was faulty because host didnt react...</p>