This strange error pops up when I attempt to "browse" a table. I have my password, it's "root" So why doesn't it simply ask me to enter my password? This is utterly frustrating. Any help is greatly appreciated.
Check your config files. I had this same problem. There are a couple of different ways to log into your PHPMyAdmin. One is with a password and one is with a cookie and I think there is yet another option.
Check the documentation here and update your config file. Don't forget to clear your caches in case there is a problem also.