Install phpBB 3.0.5 on XAMPP 1.7.2 for Windows server

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 14:26 |

Written by NetworkNerd007 |

INTRODUCTION

phpBB is the most widely used open source bulletin board/forum solution in the world. It is feature-rich, user-friendly, and fully supported by the phpBB Team. There are lots of free plug-ins and themes for phpBB, which can be found on their website.

This tutorial will show you how to install phpBB3.0.5 on your XAMPP 1.7.2 for Windows XP/Vista 32-bit & 64-bit Apache HTTP server.

I also will show how to create a new MySql database using phpMyAdmin and also create a unique user and password for that database for security purposes. So if you're ready to go, let's get started. I've made both a written tutorial and a video tutorial, so select whichever one you prefer below.

GETTING STARTED

You will need to first go and download the latest version from http://www.phpbb.com/downloads/olympus.php
I recommend the ZIP version.

phpbb305_2009-08-12_15-02-07

Go ahead and extract it somewhere accessible, such as your desktop, and then follow the tutorial below.

WRITTEN TUTORIAL (for the Video Tutorial, click HERE)

Make sure your XAMPP Apache and MySql servers are both running before starting.
Now choose if you wish to install it in your root folder or in a sub-folder.
- Sub-folder - Copy the extracted folder over to your htdocs folder, as shown in the illustration below.
- Root folder - Copy the contents of the extracted folder over to your htdocs folder. Replace the index.php file when asked to do so.
Now open your web browser and go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin and login as the root user.
Next create a new database for your phpBB forum.
The database name doesn't matter, just make sure you remember it.
Now click the Home button as shown here with the arrow.
Now click on the Privileges tab as shown here.
Now scroll down and click on Add a new User.
Now fill out the information to create the new user.
- User name: This can be whatever you like. Be sure to remember it for this tutorial.
- Host: Select Local from the drop-down menu or just type localhost in the box.
- Password: For this, I just click the Generate button and let it generate a password.
  Be sure to copy this password so you can paste it during the installation.
- Now scroll down, leaving everything else default and click the Go button at the bottom.
Now scroll down and find Database-specific privileges and select the database from the drop-down menu. It should automatically transfer you to the next screen.
Now click on the Check All link shown here, then click Go.
Now in your browser, go to http://localhost/phpbb3/install/index.php and you should see the following screen. Click on the Install tab.
Scroll down and click Proceed to next step.
You should see the screen named Installation compatibility.
Most everything should be green, with the exception of the following items, which is fine.
Also, Imagemagick has a note out beside it, which is ok too.
Click on Start Install if everything is good to go.
Next you will see the Database configuration screen.
Fill it in with the correct information.
- Database type: You can leave it on this one.
- Database server hostname or DSN: This should be localhost
- Database server port: Leave this blank.
- Database name: This is whatever you named the new database you created.
- Database username: This would be the new username you created in phpMyAdmin.
- Database password: This is the long generated password you copied earlier in phpMyAdmin.
- Prefix for tables in database: Just leave this as is.
Click on Proceed to next step.
If the information in step 14 is correct, you should see this.
Click Proceed to next step if so, otherwise go back and check your information.
Now you should see the Administrator configuration screen.
Fill this information out accordingly, then click Proceed to next step.
You should see the following screen. Click Proceed to next step.
The next screen should look like this.
Once again, click Proceed to next step.
Now you should come to the Advanced settings screen.
These settings should be just fine left as-is.
Click Proceed to next step.
Now you should see this. Click on Proceed to next step.
Now you've finally reached the end of the installation.
Note the area I've circled. You must remove or rename the directory install.

YOU'RE DONE!

Your new phpBB3 forum should be ready to go now.
You may want to go pick out a new theme or some mods for it from http://www.phpbb.com/customise/

You may also be interested in the Step 4 - Additional Settings section of this website, which will offer ways to secure your phpBB forum, how to use a public domain name for your forum, etc.

VIDEO TUTORIAL

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Thank You

Murali Y-m-d H:i:s

Thank for the wonderful tutorial.I just installed phpbb3 and smf using this
guide

Reply | Quote

having trouble accessing my forum

Russ Y-m-d H:i:s

I have everything setup and it's pointed to my domain: supersizemypc.com and is
located: supersizemypc.com/forums but when I go there, it just gives me a blank
page. I can get the forums to work when I go to localhost:8080/phpbb
do you know what i'm doing wrong? I think it is a permission thing but I don't
know where I would go to setup the permissions.

FYI: I'm hosting everything on an windows XP system. Apache 2.2 web server and
using PostgreSQL 8.4 for the Database.

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RE:

NetworkNerd007 Y-m-d H:i:s

Hey Russ,
Check your Apache error log, that may give you a clue. It's in your apache
/logs/ folder and named error. Scroll down to the bottom of it and see if it
tells you.

The only other thing I can think of off the top of my head is to check what URL
the forum is set to. I think there's a setting somewhere in there to specify
the URL.

I know many scripts are very particular about what URL you use to install them
and they're not accessible from any other URL. WordPress is one and Joomla gets
real buggy when you move it, so you might try deleting the script and database
for it, then re-install it from your domain name and not localhost.

On a side note, you've got a terribly slow connection to your server. I'd
recommend either try minimizing the graphics or check out some cheap paid
hosting. I managed to find one for $10/year. I currently use Godaddy for
$7/month and then use my personal web server for testing/development and
personal use. It's publically accesible, which makes it easy for me to get help
when developing scripts, but I don't run intentional public sites off of it.

Anywho, I hope that helps. If not, send me a message and I'll give you my MSN
Messenger/Yahoo/Skype info.

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