How to install Joomla 1.5

[david]

This tutorial will show you how to install Joomla 1.5.

What you need:

1. Web server (hosting account or localhost web server)

You can actually run a web server on your local computer, in other words, your desktop or laptop. This is known as having a localhost. It may sound like I just contradicted myself from the previous paragraph, but not quite. You can't "run" Joomla itself on your own computer, but you can install a localhost web server for it to "run on".

What you need to pull this off is some software that runs Apache, PHP and MySQL on your computer. These are the same software packages that power websites. You can use: XAMP or WAMP or Appserv

After successfully installed XAMP or WAMP or Appserv, Now open a browser and go to localhost (no "www")

You should see the following page:


There are some minimum requirements for Joomla to run, and they are slightly different for the different versions.

* PHP 4.4.3 or above - www.php.net
* MySQL 3.23.x or above - www.mysql.com
* Apache 1.13.19 or above - www.apache.org

You must ensure that you have MySQL, XML and Zlib support built into your PHP.

help.joomla.org/content/view/34/132/

A thread on the Joomla forums lists various hosting companies who are active Joomla community members. The list can be found at forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,6856.0.html

Note that from now on, the steps are more or less the the same whether you are installing Joomla on a localhost or on a remote web server.

2. Getting the Joomla Files

Head on over to www.joomla.org and you will see a link to the download section on the home page, it looks like this:



Unzipping the files

You need to unzip, or unpack the big Joomla files you have onto your server. If you are on a web host, you will need to upload the file and then unpack it. Perhaps the easiest way to do this is with cpanel. Almost all hosting companies provide it. Use your file manager to upload the zip file to public_html (or whatever you have on your host). You can then use file manager to extract the files.

Note:
I don't recommend using Fantasico. Many hosts provide it but don't always have the most current file releases.

3. Installing Joomla

We will now specifically install the Joomla

Using your browser of choice (Firefox of course), navigate to the location of all the localhost/Joomla. You will see the first installation screen.

Choose Language:



Here is the first look at some of the internationalization features of Joomla 1.5, you can select amongst many languages for the installation instructions.

Pre-Installation Check



A critical part in the installation process, this checks if all the minimum system requirements are met.

The first set are required minimums, if they are red (not met) then you need to find a new environment (change hosts), talk them into changing their environment (upgrading PHP for example). Note that the last item is a permissions issue on a file that is much easier to rectify. You can usually change permissions through the cpanel provided by your host. This tool is generally an industry standard.

The second set is recommended settings. If you don't meet them you can still install Joomla but it you experience problems with functionality and security.

Once you are green to go, click next.

License

Joomla is released under a GNU/GPL license. Can you remove the footer link that says Powered by Joomla? It's actually perfectly OK to do this, you just have to keep the copyright statement in the source code. However, I would recommend that you keep the link.

Next you will have to accept Joomla's license and click on [Next] to continue.

Database Configuration




This is one of the main pages of the installation process, it's where you need to enter important information about the database that your Joomla site will use.

The hostname will almost always be 'localhost'

The Username and password will have been provided by your hosting company, usually in an email you got when you created the account.

If you are installing on a localhost using WAMP or XAMPP, the Username is usually root and the password is nothing/blank.

The database name: put the name of the database which you created.

FTP Configuration





Next you will have to configure your File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Leave it to the default settings and just click [Next] from the top right menu.


Main Configuration




The Main Configuration page determines how you will insert content into your site. You have three choices:

* Install Sample Data
This installs the default Joomla content that you have probably seen all over the web with Welcome to Joomla. Note that is also includes all the menus, navigation links and sections/categories. If you are learning how to use Joomla this is highly recommended. Its easier to adapt and revise than to start from scratch.
* Load SQL script
This is a SQL file that might have a customized set of content
* Migration from previous versions
This is a special function that is part of a process to migrate a Joomla site running on 1.0 to 1.5 and requires a special component to do so. This is discussed more in the Appendix.

Give your site a name (pay attention to SEO keywords) and then enter the super administration information. This will be the first user in the site and automatically gets that status. Note that if you don't change the password, it will use the one shown on the left. Make sure you write it down!

Cross your eyes, close your fingers and click next. Hopefully you will see this screen




In the last page of the installation wizard you will receive a confirmation that Joomla has been successfully installed.

Before being able to access your new Joomla 1.5 you must delete the installation directory.

Well done! Your Joomla website is now installed.:thumbup1:

If you would like to learn more about the options the manual Joomla installation offers, please contact the JoomVision support team. Our technical team is expert in Joomla related questions and able to build the perfect environment for running your Joomla 1.5 website.