MySQL v8.0.17 minimal

--download&extract MySQLx64 to c:\mysql
https://cdn.mysql.com//Downloads/MySQL-8.0/mysql-8.0.17-winx64.zip

--for minimal, local use :
--leave only bin / lib / share dirs, and delete all *.pdb files
--at lib delete all except libmysql.dll

--download&install Visual C++ Redistributable 2015 for x64
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=52685

--create the dbase structure with the default tables
--using --console prints out to console and not to \data\xxx.err file
--https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/data-directory-initialization.html
--https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/server-options.html
mysqld --initialize-insecure --basedir=C:\mysql --datadir=C:\mysql\data --console

--or, to generate a password for root user, use, mysqld --initialize --basedir=C:\mysql --datadir=C:\mysql\data --console

--rerun it (fire the dbase server daemon)
mysqld

--open new cmd window

--login to server
--https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/mysql-command-options.html
mysql -u root

--change dbase to mysql default
use mysql;

--set password for root (mysql8 flavor - #caching_sha2_password#) 
ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

/*
client applications possible will not able to connect because using mysql5 flavor - #mysql_native_password#
if you getting :

--
--Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server consider upgrading MySQL client
--

you can reset the password to #mysql_native_password# and make it backwards compatible using : 

ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED WITH mysql_native_password BY 'password';

At any time you can reset it to #caching_sha2_password# by running the first ALTER query (IDENTIFIED BY)

It should be obvious that using a crypto algorithm with several handshakes is more secure than plain password
passing that has been there for 24 years! https://stackoverflow.com/a/56509065/1320686
*/

--you can see the users & authentication type with
select user,host,plugin from user;

--because we modified the grant table, we have to execute
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

--exit from mysql by typing 
quit