Installing PHP on Windows

What is PHP?

PHP,
which stands for “PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor” is a widely-used Open Source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for Web development and can be embedded into HTML. Its syntax draws upon C, Java, and Perl, and is easy to learn. The main goal of the language is to allow web developers to write dynamically generated web pages quickly, but you can do much more with PHP. Before installing php on windows, some prerequisites you need to check. First you need to have a windows operating system such as windows vista, windows 7, windows xp pro, or you might have windows 2003 server. It is better to install php on windows 2003 server, here some guides how to install windows 2003 server screenshots. After completing installing operating system, you might have proceed to install apache server then install php and last but not least installing mysql server on windows. What to do after installing php? You may test creating a test page and rename as test.php ,how to create a test page php?  After completing these 3 component, then you might proceed to install php CMS on your local pc or server. Download your php here.

One reason PHP is such a powerful language is that it includes many different modules (which are additions to the language that exist as a separate file that PHP loads when it begins), each serving a different purpose. Visit www.php.net/manual/en/funcref.php to view the categories of functions, which are grouped into modules.

Here are the step and setup wizard to for PHP 5.2.3.

Click x2 the php-5.2.3-win32-installer.

Click next to continue PHP 5..2.3 setup wizard.

Check on the box I accept the terms in the License Agreement and click next to continue PHP setup wizard.

Click next to select the default folder where apache to be installed or you can change your own destination
folder such as c:\

Change current destination to c:\PHP if you don’t want to use default folder.

Select Apache 2.2.x Module if you already installed apache version 2.2.4 or later. Click next to continue php web
server setup.

Select apache configuration browse directory which is located on c:\program files\apache software
foundation\apache2.2\conf\. Click next and ok to continue php setup.

Click the icons in the tree below to change the way features will be installed. Installed optional extras for the PHP
install. Click next to continue PHP setup. Click Install.

Please wait while the setup wizard installs PHP 5.2.3.

Congratulations!! You completed the PHP 5.2.3 setup wizard. Click Finish

You may test your php using command prompt. Go to the php directory, type php –v and you suppose get Copyright ©
1997-2007 The PHP Group Zend Engine v2.2.0, Copyright © 1998-2007 Zend Technologies.

Extract php-5.2.3-Win32.zip

Copy all the content to the PHP folder.

The PHP config file is php.ini located at the root of PHP installation folder.