Dw cs5 with existing wordpress site hosted on yahoo need help connecting to existing remote database

Question

I am having trouble establishing a database connection.  I can  connect with test databases but am having trouble using dreamweaver wtih  my existing wordpress website.  Am I able to use dreamweaver to edit  and live view my changes before uploading the changed files to my live  site?  Am I able to access my existing wordpress database with  dreaweaver?  I have imported it to my testing server/database but still  seem to be having trouble establishing a connection with it (think maybe  my folder hierarchy might be off).
macintosh HD/Applications/MAMP/htdocs/nwm/wp/index.php
"nwm" is the name of the folder that I have copied all of my site  files to and the folder I have dreamweaver pointing to.  "wp" is what I  have all of the wordpress files in (the ones I copied from my yahoo  server - including all my current theme files etc.)
I am trying to put the info into the mysql connection dialog box:
Connection Name: Testing (i am assuming this name is for my benefit only and doesn't actually matter)
MySQL Server: mysql
User Name: *****
Password: *****
Database: wp
and am getting this message
MySQL Error#: 2013
Lost connection to MySQL server at 'reading initial communication packet', system error 61
did some google seaches of the error.  Tried turning off the  firewall, and the advance tab allow mysql incoming  (there were 2 one  was allow one was not allow.  I changed both to allow)
Cant really find anything on yahoo to help me out.  Looked in  phpmyadmin database named wp: wp_users to get the username and password  (which due to previous look for help - I think the password was  encrypted cuz it looked like a bunch of mumbo jumbo and am fairly  certain I know the correct password).
Any help would be greatly appreciated!! I spent $50 on live chat  last night trying to resolve the issue only to find out at the end that  the guy really didn't understand my problem and doesn't have  dreamweaver.  I have also watched countless videos on Lynda.com and have  been thru forum after forum.  While this problem is only a couple weeks  old since I just got CS5.  I have been having trouble making any  headway learning php since I cant seem to make it past the set up  parts.  I have done the php / mysql essential training on lynda.com with  relative success except that I really dont want to work with any more  exercise files so I didn't go on to the beyond the basics. I recently  went thru most of the Dreamweaver CS5 and Wordpress 3. Also did the  first 4 chapters of Dreamweaver CS5 with PHP and MySQL. I need to start  integrating things into my live sites.  I am also trying to work my way  thru the learning php, mysql, javascript book by o'reily media by robin  nixon (as fun as reading a math text book) can't get thru it since I  can't relate any of it to my current sites/needs
I am on MacBookPro OSX 10.6.6
Installed MAMP to specification on all 20 tutorials I have tried including lynda.com
Tested the testing server and is working
Just installed dreamweaver cs5
have been using wordpress online to create and edit posts (recently  upgraded to 3.? whatever the latest update was online which I believe  update the files on my yahoo server?)
Have also installed wordpress on my computer (several times thru each tutorial trying to get this right.)
Am I expecting the impossible?

Answer 1

If wordpress controls it's own connection why am I unable to use the live view. I have synced the remote site to my local computer so all the files should be just as they are online with the exception of the DB which contains most of the content.
I have done all of those steps.  I have even exported the database from inside internet phpmyadmin and imported into computer phpmyadmin.  When I hit live view I get one of couple of errors.
1.  "One is that the dynamic related files could not be displayed due to an internal server error"
At some point I was able to view some sample files inside dreamweaver.  But I would like to be able to view my real site files.  I was able to "connect" to the local databases (not the copy of my real one - I think that maybe that was because it is somehow nested inside another db an am going try to reimport to new location).  And then I changed the host/username/password trying to deal with the internal server error. Now instead I get the cannot connect to the database Error 2016 or whatever from the origianl post. Also, I am using yahoo if that matters and all I can find about what their server name is: mysql - is that correct?
I have been thru this so many times with so many different tutorials I am losing track of what is what.
2.  Can I access my remote database within dreamweaver? I do not want to create dummy files (seems to be a waste of time).  And while if it had worked exporting/importing a duplicate on to my computer would have satisfied me for a little while it also seems some what counter productive.  Since every post and page is different if I were doing a daily updates etc how would I be able to change the formating or design of them if I can't access the remote files.  Would I re- import everytime I want to work on it to get current database?
I am trying to be clear.  I listed all the specs I could think as listed  in your "how to get help fast post" (yes I read that at least twice  too) of all of the steps and possible reasons for my problems.  I also  thought that the forum was on a seperate site so I didn't think it would  count as a duplicate.  I am frustrated to tears and am feeling  incredibly stupid that after all this time and all these tutorials yes  you are right I obviously am not understanding what is going on which is  why I am on this forum.