XAMPP is a free, self contained local server which includes Apache, MYSQL, PHP and more which you can install on a Windows computer or Mac and is great for installing and testing the quick start installer package we have available for download at the website before moving your website to your web hosting companies server.
XAMPP is also really useful if you want to develop your Joomla site locally before moving it to the web hosting provider.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Read the documentation for XAMPP to get yourself familiar with using software.
XAMPP may behave differently to the Apache, MYSQL, PHP configuration running via the web hosting company and you may get unexpected results when using Joomla and XAMPP.
To install XAMPP for the quick start package complete the following steps
1. Visit the XAMPP website and download the latest version of the .exe installer for Microsoft Windows
2. After you have downloaded XAMPP click on the .exe file to start the installation process and you will see the following screen
3. Click on the NEXT button and select the default components
4. You can now select the directory where XAMPP will be installed. The default directory is C:\xampp\
5. Select the NEXT button and the following screen will appear
6. Select the NEXT Button
7. Select the NEXT button to setup the local server on your computer based on the information you have entered into the configuration settings noted above.
8. The Final screen will confirm that XAMPP was successfully installed on your computer.
Select the FINISH button to complete the installation process.
9. The next step is to click on the XAMPP icon on your computer desktop to open the control panel to start Apache and MYSQL as show in the screen shot below. Once Apache and MySQL is started you can move onto the next step.
10: If you did not change the default installation directory you can now browse to the C:\xampp\htdocs\ directory. Once you are in the htdocs directory create a new directory called Joomla so your directory structure will look like C:\xampp\htdocs\Joomla\ as show in the screen shot below.
11. The next step is to open the Joomla directory and copy all the Quick start files included in the template zip package you have downloaded from the website to the C:\xampp\htdocs\Joomla\ as show in the screen shot below
Note: The name of the .jpa file shown in the screen shot will be different depending on the template you have downloaded at the site.
12. The next step is to open your web browser and enter http://localhost/>
14. After selecting phpMyAdmin choose the databases tab and in the database field enter Joomla for the name of the database and select the create button to create the MYSQL database. The default user name and password for the MYSQL database is root and password.
15. The next step is to start the installation of the quick start package. To start the installation enter the following into the browser http://localhost/Joomla/kickstart.php and you will see the following screen shot.
16: To complete the next steps to setup the quick start package open the How do I install the template quick start package article included in this knowledge base and go to step 4 included in the article to complete the steps to setup the quick start package.
A template quick start installer allows you to create an exact copy of the website and template you can see running at the template gallery
You don’t need to worry about installing a new installation of Joomla
Or setting up the Joomla template
The website quick start installer does everything for you in a few simple steps
Watch the video to find out more about how easy it is to setup the Joomla website installer
What is included in the quick start
A default installation of the latest version of Joomla
The Joomla template you have purchased at the website is setup and ready to go for you
All the demo content including menus, modules, content, images, slideshow is setup for you
Why should you use the quick start
It’s easy to install and use
It will save you a lot of time
Comes with everything you need to help you quickly setup your site
After you have installed the quick start installer you will have an exact copy of the template and website you can see at the gallery
How do I setup the template quick start
The following step by step instructions will guide you through installing and setting up the quick start installer at your website.
Step 1: Create a MYSQL database
The first step is to log into your web hosting control panel and create a new MYSQL database which will be used to store all the MYSQL data for your Joomla website.
Log into your web hosting control panel and select the MYSQL Databases icon
2. Enter the MYSQL database name for the web site and select the Create database button
3. Create a new MYSQL user name and password which needs to be assigned to the new MYSQL database you have created
4. Add the MYSQL user you have created to the MYSQL database
5. Give the user ALL privileges to the MYSQL database you have created
Step 2: Upload the .jpa backup file to the public_html directory
Once you have created the new MYSQL database and user name you need to upload the .jpa file included in the quick start files directory included inside the template zip file you have downloaded at the website.
To upload the .jpa file to your web hosting space complete the following
Open the FTP software you have installed on your computer
Select the jpa file included in the quick start files directory
Using the FTP software you have installed on your computer upload the jpa file to the public_html directory
Step 3: Upload all the kick start files to the public_html directory
After you have uploaded the jpa file to the public_html directory you now need to upload ALL the kick start files located in the /quickstart files/kickstart/ directory included inside the template zip file to the public_html directory
IMPORTANT : all the files show in the screen shot need to be uploaded to the same place you uploaded the JPA file to.
Step 4: Install the quick start Installer
Open your browser and enter your website domain plus a forward slash / after the domain name followed by the name kickstart.php
