WordPress is a free and open source tool – a content management system (CMS) based on PHP and MySQL. WordPress powers 24% of the internet and growing stronger day by day. Numerous websites are created using WordPress every single day. It is the most powerful hosting platform and is the easiest way to create a free website or blog in short span of time.
Benefits of using WordPress:
- Before setting up and configuring custom domain using WordPress, one can always install WordPress locally for testing or learning or developing plugins for the same.
- Users can install WordPress in their machines to test the themes, plugins and ensure that setup is perfect to deploy to the server.
- WordPress is very easy to use. Adding new pages, blog posts, images, etc. on a regular basis is a can be done quickly.
- It is SEO friendly.
- As an administrator of a WordPress site, one can set-up multiple users for the website and assign access levels and capabilities to each user.
- Supports Multilanguage
In this blog, we will learn how to install WordPress in Windows using WAMP Server or WAMP in short. WAMP is a Windows web development environment and is combination of Apache2, PHP, and a MySQL database.
Steps to Install WordPress and WAMP
Step 1: Download WAMP Server
The first thing you need to do is go to the WampServer website and download the latest version. There will be different options available on the download page. Simply choose the option that applies to your Windows (64-bit or 32-bit).
Note: While installing WAMP, no other servers should be in active mode otherwise it will conflict installation of WAMP.
Step 2: Installation of WAMP Server
After downloading WAMP server, double click on WAMP Server icon to run and install it (By default it will get installed on C Drive).
Step 3: Run WAMP Server
Always remember to first activate WAMP server simply by double clicking on its icon. After activating it, the icon will become green from red in the task-bar.
Note: At times, While installing sometimes WAMP shows error ‘MSVCR100.dll’ is missing.
The MSVCR100.dll file is part of the Microsoft Visual C++, redistributables. This can be installed to solve the problem. Install from the given below links.
Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 Service Pack 1 Redistributable Package
For Windows 32 : Be sure that you have installed the Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package x86 : VC10 SP1 vcredist_x86.exe
For Windows 64 : Be sure that you have installed the Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package x64 : VC10 SP1 vcredist_x64.exe
Apache will not run without this component
Step 4: Download WordPress Zip
Go to wordpress file and download the latest version of WordPress
Step 5: Open WAMP Folder
Open directory where WAMP server you have been installed and perform the following steps.
- Open C Drive, by default WAMP is installed in this directory –> WAMP –> WWW–> copy the downloaded extract WordPress file here.
- Now make a copy of the folder and rename it, here for e.g. “Project1”.
Making a multiple copy of WordPress and renaming will save your time for downloading the WordPress again (In case the downloaded file is needed again).
Step 6: Open Browser Window
- Open web browser window and type the following on the address bar “localhost/phpmyadmin/” and press enter
- Select the database and create a database for your WordPress, lets say for example “Project1”
Step 7 Installation of WordPress
- Type “localhost/Project1” On your Browser and follow the instructions
- Select preferred language and click on Continue
- Click on Let’s go Page
- Now appears the Database Connection screen, enter Database name (one which you have entered while creating a database). In our case, we have taken “Project1”
- Username is “root” by default as per MySQL user name
- The password should be left blank if you haven’t mentioned it at the time of creating the database.
- Mention Database Host as “localhost” and let the table prefix wp_ remain as it is
- Now Install the setup
- Fill the information like Site Title, Username, Password and Email as per your choice. But remember username, password and email credentials as they will be required in future. In case, you have entered weak password and you want to keep it , then check confirm use of weak password, Click on Install WordPress.
- Login screen will appear. Enter the credentials and click on Login button
- Worpress Dasboard will appear
Congratulations you have installed WordPress setup successfully on your system and ready to make your first website!!
Troubleshooting WAMP Skype Error
If you have Skype installed and running, then WampServer may not work properly due to a conflict with Skype. The conflict is caused because both Apache and Skype using the same port 80. There is a simple solution to fix this problem.
- Open Skype and go to Tools » Options.
- Click on Advanced and then Connections.
- Uncheck the box that says Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections.
- Save options and restart Skype.
We hope that this blog has helped you in installing WordPress on your Windows computer using WAMP. Having a local server environment is best for learning and testing purposes. Once you become acquainted with this exciting platform, you can do anything from blogging to making a website and that too free of cost. Do let us know how simple and easy it was for you in the comments section below.
