Log files:
140225 11:09:18 [Note] Plugin 'FEDERATED' is disabled.
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: The InnoDB memory heap is disabled
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: Mutexes and rw_locks use Windows interlocked functions
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: Compressed tables use zlib 1.2.3
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: Initializing buffer pool, size = 16.0M
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: Completed initialization of buffer pool
InnoDB: Error: space header page consists of zero bytes in data file \xampp\mysql\data\ibdata1
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: Could not open or create data files.
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: If you tried to add new data files, and it failed here,
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: you should now edit innodb_data_file_path in my.cnf back
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: to what it was, and remove the new ibdata files InnoDB created
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: in this failed attempt. InnoDB only wrote those files full of
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: zeros, but did not yet use them in any way. But be careful: do not
140225 11:09:18 InnoDB: remove old data files which contain your precious data!
140225 11:09:18 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' init function returned error.
140225 11:09:18 [ERROR] Plugin 'InnoDB' registration as a STORAGE ENGINE failed.
140225 11:09:18 [ERROR] Unknown/unsupported storage engine: InnoDB
140225 11:09:18 [ERROR] Aborting
140225 11:09:18 [Note] d:\xampp\mysql\bin\mysqld.exe: Shutdown complete
I've been trying for 4 weeks on and off to get mysql to work in xampp.