mysql phpmyadmin and php

[lynn]

Hello!
I installed on my mac (panther) on /usr/local mysql4.1.8 php5 and
apache2; I already had a data dir (called var) on another volume witch
was linked to a previous mysql installation via symlink (called data);
here if I do the same symlink (changing permissions of files in this
previous var) it is ok for the first connection but not for new
connections : I can not connect to anything, users and passwords are
lost. Apparently when I create the symlink data -> var, mysql can
write in X.local.err (witch was existing already) in the var dir but
not the X.local.pid and X.lower-test (not existing before).... I tryed
to check the permissions of the directories they were identical; but
is it possible that permissions of the volume in witch var directory
was, are responsable of this problem of creation of file?
I hope that it is clear enougth if not I will try to explain it
better...

Thanks in advance for any help.

LN