MySQL Probs after Debian install

[asmadius]

Hi,
i've searched for 2 days trying to fix this. Didn't find the right answers yet. I followed the perfect_setup_debian_sarge (didn't install ISPconfig yet). I've done this the last time im March - with no probs. After installing everything, I did /etc/init.d/mysql restart to make sure it was running correctly, but I get the following error:

Starting MySQL database server: mysqld...failed.
Please take a look at the syslog.
/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server at 'localhost' failed
error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)'
Check that mysqld is running and that the socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!

I'v checked the logs, but I can't find a way to fix the prob.
Here's the last part(s) of the log files:

Jul 7 15:17:27 www mysqld_safe[2423]: started
Jul 7 15:17:27 www mysqld[2427]: 060707 15:17:27 /usr/sbin/mysqld: unknown variable '
old_passwords=1'
Jul 7 15:17:27 www mysqld[2427]:
Jul 7 15:17:27 www mysqld_safe[2429]: ended
Jul 7 15:17:33 www /etc/init.d/mysql[2492]: 0 processes alive and '/usr/bin/mysqladmi
n --defaults-file=/etc/mysql/debian.cnf ping' resulted in
Jul 7 15:17:33 www /etc/init.d/mysql[2492]: ^G/usr/bin/mysqladmin: connect to server
at 'localhost' failed
Jul 7 15:17:33 www /etc/init.d/mysql[2492]: error: 'Can't connect to local MySQL serv
er through socket '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' (2)'
Jul 7 15:17:33 www /etc/init.d/mysql[2492]: Check that mysqld is running and that the
socket: '/var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock' exists!
Jul 7 15:17:33 www /etc/init.d/mysql[2492]:

I've done this on a rented server which first gave me the same errors, so I decided to setup a test server @ home - the logs are almost the same.

Thanx for any type of help.

[asmadius]

OOPS!!!!
I may have made a mistake installing. I did a dist-upgrade on both maschines. (this is very embarrassing to - bin using linux almost 10 years, debian about 8 months)

on the pc @ home -- no mysql(client & server)

on both -- libdbd-mysql-perl updated

after this the MySQL server started just fine.