I like to try new things with WordPress, but it's time consuming, and occasionally risky, to upload every incremental change or tweak to a remote web host for testing. Wouldn't it be great to have a local test environment with MySql, PHP, and WordPress?
After doing a little research, I discovered XAMPP, with Apache, MySQL, PHP, PHPAdmin, and Perl in one download, with easy installation for Windows, Mac, and Linux users.
The reviews were positive, so I decided to try XAMPP. However, I already use IIS and ASP.Net with Windows 7 on my 64-bit HP desktop, so I was concerned about the consequences of adding Apache server. (Yes, it's possible to install WordPress, MySQL, and PHP to work with IIS, but I did it this way to gain more experience using Apache server.) As it turned out, Apache and IIS7 can play well, if not really "together," on the same computer. See Running Xampp and Apache with IIS on my ASP.Net website.
The information here is mainly about using WordPress with XAMPP, where Apache is listening, as expected, on port 80 and IIS is not in the picture.
Install XAMPP
After downloading the zipped XAMPP package for your operating system, extract all files and double-click the executable file to install it. Be patient while unpacking the huge zipped file. I used xampp-win32-1.7.3.exe, since there is no 64-bit version. XAMPP installed successfully with no errors. All the software components are in one "umbrella" directory. If it becomes necessary to uninstall everything, that can be accomplished by deleting the XAMPP directory or running uninstall_xampp.bat. It does not make a mess on your hard drive.
After installation is complete, the XAMPP "web page" displays a success message in your browser (http://localhost/xampp/) along with information about the new services, programs, and admin tools. Use the XAMPP Control Panel to start the Apache and MySQL services. (I did not start Filezilla or Mercury since I don't need routinely need FTP or mail services on my home PC.) Click the Status link to see what is working, and the Security link to lock down your installation.
Create a database for WordPress
Before installing WordPress, open PHPMyAdmin and create a database for it. To do this, click the Privileges tab. Then click Add a new User. Type a user name, which could be WordPress, wp-blog, or whatever you want. Check the box to "Create database with same name and grant all privileges". Use the Generate button to create a strong password or make up a more memorable one. You will need to enter the password in your WordPress wp-config.php file, so type it into a text editor or copy the generated one to Windows clipboard NOW. Click Go. A screenshot from PHPMyAdmin is shown below (no, that's not the name of my database or password!)
Before proceeding further, select the new database and click the Privileges tab to make sure the new user has been granted all database-specific privileges. If not, click the Add button and grant them. The new database has nothing in it yet. It will be populated with data tables when you install WordPress software.
Install WordPress
Get the latest stable version of WordPress from WordPress.org and extract the files to your XAMPP/htdocs folder OR to a new folder inside XAMPP/htdocs, if you prefer to keep the root uncluttered. Since this installation is a development tool just for you, set it up however you like. Then, save a copy of the wp-config-sample.php file as wp-config.php. Open wp-config.php in a text editor and update the following lines, replacing the values for DB_NAME, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD with your new database name, database username, and database password:
/** The name of the database for WordPress */
define('DB_NAME', 'putyourdbnamehere');
/** MySQL database username */
define('DB_USER', 'usernamehere');
/** MySQL database password */
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'yourpasswordhere');
Save the wp-config.php file and go to http://localhost/wp-login.php or http://localhost/yourWPfolder/wp-login.php to install WordPress. If you later decide to change the admin username from "admin" to something less vulnerable to hackers, open PHPMyAdmin and select your wordpress database. Open the wp_users table and change the username for admin to something hard to guess. There is also a plugin for changing the admin username, if you're squeamish about editing the database record directly.
I'm thrilled to have WordPress on my home PC, along with Apache and PHP. It's a great learning experience and especially convenient for testing navigation and layout changes. If I can do it, so can you!
