How To Install XAMPP and Prestashop

Prestashop is one of those lovely free opensource carts. If you have a small to medium business, you should definitely check it out. If you don’t have some webspace with a hosting service yet, you can try Prestashop locally. This means on your own computer. To achieve this we’ll need some software called XAMPP. 1. First of all we’ll download all the software we need: 7zip Prestashop Xampp 2. Install 7-zip by doubleclicking the .exe file. If you have a 64bit operating system, download the .msi file. 3. Download the latest stable version of Prestashop and put the .zip file in a seperate folder. Right click the zip file and choose Extract here. A new folder named prestashop is created. prestashop 4. Download Xampp and doubleclick the .exe file. xampp install Select C:/ as your destination folder. Xampp will start extracting all the necessary files. After extracting the files you will be presented by some options. I recommend the followng settings: Add shortcuts to the start menu/desktop : Y Should I proceed? Y Should I make a portable XAMPP? N Xammp is ready to use: press enter xampp install Your time zone is now set. Select option 1, start XAMPP control panel and close the panel. 5. Xampp is now presenting you with its opening screen. Press start for the first two services : Apache and MySql. If your firewall is interupting you, you can allow Xampp to connect. 6. Now go back to Windows explorer. Copy the prestashop folder 7 zip just created for us a few steps back. Navigate to C:/xammp/htdocs Inside the htdocs folder paste the prestashop folder. Now the fun starts! 7. Open your browser and go to http://127.0.0.1/phpmyadmin Your php aminstration panel opens. Create a new database in the field create new database. As name you enter the name for your shop and hit the create button. Remember this name! 8. Now back to your browser again. In the address bar type http://127.0.0.1/prestashop/install to install our shopping cart software. You are presented with a welcome message. Select your desired install language. Select a complete installation and press the next button. Prestashop will now test our system compatibilty. Since XAMPP is running everything should be ok. Hit that next button. Hold on now! Next up is the installation configuration screen. Your database server name is localhost Your database name is the name you choose in the phpMyAdmin screen (the one I asked you to remember) Your login is root You can leave the password blank. You can test your setting with the Verify now button. For security reasons you should enter a a database tables prefix. You could try prefixMYSHOP_. Make sure Full Mode is selected Enter your email address at the bottom of the screen and hit Next again. The next screen allows you to enter some information. You can skip the logo part and change this later. Choose a password. Make sure you DO NOT (this is a local install) tick the box at the bottom of the screen. As this is a local install, your computer won’t be able to send emails. 9. Now we have some cleaning to do. Go to c:/xampp/htdocs/prestahop . Delete the install folder. Rename the folder admin to something like MYSHOPadmin, this is for security reasons. Now is the big moment! In your internet browser go to http://127.0.0.1/prestashop This is your shop! If you want to work in the back end you go to http://127.0.0.1/prestashop/MYSHOPadmin.