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If you're a developer or web designer, XAMPP will significantly save you time in the manual installation and configuration of Apache, MySQL, PHP, and Perl to create a testing environment.
In the following article, Mytour will explain how to install, configure, and use Xampp on Windows 10, as well as how to troubleshoot common issues.
Installing Xampp on Windows 10
Step 1: Download Xampp to your computer and install it.
If you need a specific version for PHP, you can download higher versions of Xampp. Otherwise, it's advisable to download and install older versions to avoid errors when installing PHP-based software.
Download Xampp to your computer and install it here: Download Xampp
Step 2: Double-click the file to open the installation wizard.
Step 3: Click OK on the alert window to proceed.
Step 4: Click Next.
Step 5: Xampp provides a range of components that users can install such as MySQL, phpMyAdmin, PHP, Apache, etc. Therefore, it's best to keep the default settings on the Setup window and then click Next.
Step 6: Uncheck the box next to Learn more about Bitnami for XAMPP then click Next.
Step 7: Next, you can choose the directory for software installation or keep the default installation location and click Next to begin the installation process.
Step 8: During the Windows installation process, users will be asked to allow specific services to communicate through the firewall. Click Allow access to continue.
Step 9: Click Finish to complete the installation process and you can start using the Xampp Control Panel.
Step 10: Choose the language to use (English or French) and then click Save to complete the process and open the Xampp Control Panel.
Configuring Xampp on Windows 10
Xampp Control Panel consists of 3 main sections. In the Modules section, all available services are listed. You can start each service individually by clicking the Start button.
When running certain services, such as Apache and MySQL, in the right column you will see the process ID and TCP/IP port number that each service is using. For example, by default, Apache uses TCP/IP ports 80 and 443 while MySQL uses TCP/IP port 3306.
Additionally, you can click the Admin button to access the Admin dashboard for each service and verify everything is functioning correctly.
On the right column, a list of buttons for configuring Xampp is displayed, including the Config button to configure modules to start automatically when Xampp is running.
Netstart provides a list of services currently accessing the network system, along with process ID and TCP/IP port information.
Quick access buttons include opening the command line shell, Xampp installation directory, services, etc.
Finally, there's the logs section. Here, you can view any setup changes or activities that occur while modules are running. Additionally, this is where you can identify culprits causing issues or incidents.
Xampp's default settings create a testing environment for users to run a personal website or client. However, depending on the setup configuration, users may need to adjust TCP/IP port numbers for the Apache server, upload file sizes for databases, or set passwords for phpMyAdmin.
To modify these settings, you use the Config button of the corresponding services. For example, the httpd.conf file for altering Apache server settings and the my.ini file for changing MySQL settings.
Fixing Apache not working on Xampp
Installing Xampp is quite simple, but sometimes on Windows 10 and some other Windows versions, Apache server may not be allowed to run.
The root cause may be the World Wide Publishing Service installed and running on port 80 on the Windows computer. Port 80 is also the default TCP/IP port that Apache uses on Xampp.
Below are some troubleshooting steps:
Uninstalling the World Wide Web Service
If no application relies on the World Wide Web Service feature, you can uninstall this service by following the steps below:
Step 1: Press Windows + X to open the Power User menu, then select Programs and Features.
Step 2: Next, click the link Turn Windows features on or off.
Step 3: Expand the Internet Information Services section and uncheck the World Wide Web Services option. Additionally, if desired, you can uncheck the FTP Server and Web Management Tools options.
Step 4: Click OK.
Step 5: Restart your computer to complete the process.
Step 6: Open the XAMPP Control Panel and then click the Start button on Apache.
Changing the default Apache TCP/IP port
Additionally, to resolve the issue, you can configure Apache to run on a different TCP/IP port. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: Open the XAMPP Control Panel, click the Admin button on Apache, then click httpd.conf.
Step 2: Scroll down to find the line: Listen 80.
Step 3: Change the default TCP/IP port, which is port 80, to port 81. After making the change, the line Listen 80 will change to Listen 81.
Cannot connect: invalid settings'.
To address this issue, you'll need to modify the configuration settings in the config.inc.php file. Follow the steps below:
Step 1: On the Xampp Control Panel, click the Explorer button.
Step 2: Open the phpMyAdmin folder, then locate and open the config.inc.php file in a text editor.
Step 3: In the Authentication type and info section, update the following lines:
On $cfg['Servers'][$i]['auth_type'] = 'config'; replace config with cookie.
On $cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = true; replace true with false.
Step 4: Finally, save and close the file.
Now you can log in to the phpMyAdmin dashboard normally.
This article has just guided you on how to install, configure, and use Xampp on Windows 10, as well as how to troubleshoot common errors on Xampp. In case you encounter issues with starting Apache, Mytour has also provided guidance on installing and fixing Apache XAMPP start error. If you have any questions or concerns that need addressing, feel free to leave your comments below the article, and Mytour will respond to your inquiries as soon as possible.
