Installing Wamp Server

This document describes in great detail how to install OpenEvSys 0.9-rc1 on a Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Vista computer using WAMPServer.

It is designed to get you moving, and allow you to try out OpenEvSys for yourself. If it doesn't work, it's a problem with Windows, not OpenEvSys. The installation that you use here in not secure, so don't put anything confidential in it. If you want to use OpenEvSys for storing confidential information, or for use online over the Internet for your organisation, we strongly recommend that you involve your webmaster or a server technician.

Get WAMPServer running on your computer

Get WAMPServer

Open your Internet browser, and visit the WAMPServer website (http://www.wampserver.com/), or the project page on Sourceforge (http://sourceforge.net/projects/wampserver/files/WampServer%202/WampServer%202.0/WampServer2.0i.exe/download). Save the file somewhere on your computer, for example:

C:\Users\Example\Folder\stuff

Find where you saved the WAMPServer installer

Once the download is complete, find the installer file in C:\Users\Example\Folder\Stuff. Left-click on it twice, quickly, to start the installation process.

WAMPServer warning about previous version

If you have a previous version of WAMPServer running, backup any data and remove it before starting to install the newer version.

WAMPServer starts to install

Accept the WAMPServer terms of use and licence

Select I accept the agreement, and then Next to continue the installation process.

WAMPserver is Free Software like OpenEvSys. You can download, share with friends, and modify it if you like.

Choose where WAMPServer should install

By default, WAMPServer installs itself in this directory on your computer:

c:/wamp

You can choose any location you like though.

Finalise the installation

Create a desktop shortcut and quicklaunch icon if you like.

The WAMPServer installer gives you a chance to change your mind about where to install.

Sit back and watch as WAMPServer installs

This should take less than a minute.

Configure WAMPServer's mail server

You don't need an email server for OpenEvSys. Leave the data that is already there. Select "next" to continue installing.

WAMPServer Installation is complete

Click on "finish" to start WAMPServer running on your computer.

WAMPServer is starting up

WAMPServer is now starting up on your local computer. You will see a new icon in Window's system tray, at the bottom right hand side of your screen, where the clock is.

The WAMPServer icon looks like a little horsehoe, or a fan. When WAMPServer is starting, this little icon is partly yellow.

WAMPServer is now running

When WAMPServer is working smoothly, the little icon is all white. When some services (eg. MySQL, or PHP) are not working, or are switched off, this icon may be partly red.

Access WAMPServer's control panel and disable PHP error reporting

With your mouse pointer, right click once on the white icon in the system tray. The WAMPServer control panel will pop-up immediately.

Using the menus in this control panel, you can stop and start WAMPServer, and change most of the settings of PHP, MySQL and Apache. Hover over PHP, then PHP Settings, and then select "display errors" and "display startup errors". This will remove the "tick" and disable PHP error reporting.

Now open the WAMPServer control panel again, and select www directory. This will open up this directory in Windows Explorer - the file browser in Microsoft Windows that you use for things like moving and deleting files, or creating directories.

The WAMPServer /www directory

 

The WAMPServer /www directory is where we will put OpenEvSys. It is here:

c:/wamp/www

If you had installed WAMP somewhere else, it will be here:

c:/somewhere/else/www