How to Install Wordpress Using XAMPP 2010
XAMPP is a free open-source Web server package that you can install on your Windows desktop. With XAMPP, you can easily run a local installation of Wordpress to help with design and development of plugins or themes, testing of code, or simply to run a personal and private blog that is not dependent on an Internet connection. XAMPP also includes database management tools and an FTP interface to easily transfer your development files from your computer to a live environment online.
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Instructions
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Go to the Sourceforge website link in Resources. Click on the green "Download" button. Save the file to your desktop. When the download completes, double-click the installer to launch the setup.
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Choose a destination folder by clicking on "Browse." The destination folder will be the base for your Web server and also where Wordpress will be installed. Choose a folder that is easy to locate later. It is not recommended to install XAMPP to your desktop or "Documents" folders, since this can cause overly long path names that can result in errors. By default, XAMPP will install to the root of your "C" Drive. Click "Next" to continue through the installation.
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Download Wordpress from wordpress.org. Double-click the zip file to view the contents and click "Extract All Files." If you are using WinZip or WinRAR, click on the Extract icon. Browse to the location of the XAMPP installation and expand or open the folder. Select the "htdocs" folder and click "OK" to extract the files. All of your Web development files must be located under the "htdocs" folder to be accessible with your Web browser.
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Click on "Start," "Programs" and "XAMPP" to launch the control panel. Click the "Start" button next to Apache and MySQL. This enables your webserver and supporting functions that allow Wordpress to work. You will need to do this each time you start your computer, if you want to access Wordpress through XAMPP.
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Open your Web browser and enter "http://localhost/wordpress" into the address bar, then hit "Enter." The Wordpress setup wizard should appear. This confirms that XAMPP and Wordpress have both been installed on your computer properly. But you will need to create a database before you can continue setting up your blog.
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Bring up your XAMPP control panel once again and click the "Admin" button to the right of MySQL. This will launch PHPMyAdmin, the database management interface. In the "Create a new database" field, type "wordpress" and click the "Create" button. Wordpress will use this database to store all of your posts, categories and images.
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Click the "Privileges" tab along the top of the page. Click the "Add a New User" link. Enter your desired username in the "User name" field. Enter "localhost" in the "Host" field. Type a password into the provided fields. This password should be between 8-12 characters. Use at least one number and one special character or capital letter. Click the "Check All" link next to "Global Privileges" below, then click the "Go" button when ready.
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Return to your Wordpress setup page and follow the setup wizard. When asked for your database information, enter the database name (wordpress), host (localhost), username and password you just created. You will be asked to create an additional login and password to access Wordpress. It is best not to use the same username and password you use for your database. While it is less likely your local installation of Wordpress will be compromised, you should form good security practices now in preparation for live installations later. When setup is complete, you will be brought to the Wordpress admin login page where you can log in and configure your new blog.
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Tips & Warnings
To access themes and plugins from a live installation of Wordpress, you can copy the "wp-content" folder from the live wordpress install to your "xampp\htdocs\wordpress" folder, overwriting the default.
You cannot simply copy an entire Wordpress installation folder from a live location into XAMPP's "htdocs" folder to access an existing Wordpress blog. You must first export your posts, pages, images and categories from within Wordpress using the "Export" function under Tools, and then import them to your locally-installed version.
References
Resources
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