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Requirements:

Domain and Web Hosting
MySql Database
Wordpress 2.8

For this tutorial, ill be using XAMPP, but it is very same for your server too. Wherever it is different ill make it a point to mention. A free version of XAMPP can be downloaded from here. It is very easy to install XAMPP on your pc. Or you can check out my tutorial that will roll out soon.

Also please download the latest version of Wordpress2.9 from here. I’ll be using wordpress2.8 because it is the latest stable version and is compatible with most of the plug-in that have already been written.

STEP 1: Getting things right.

Get your setup ready. Considering that you have downloaded the latest Wordpress and XAMPP and installed ill go further. To check if you have installed XAMPP properly open up your Mozilla browser and type http://localhost/xampp. This should give you a screen like the one below.

Fig: Xampp splash screen

STEP 2: Access the local PhpMyAdmin

Now we have to create a Mysql database. Most of the hosting package that you buy gives you some free Mysql database. Depending on your control panel for your domain, you can navigate inside and create your own database name and user for it.

For XAMPP, please enter http://localhost/phpmyadmin in the address bar of your browser. You will be redirected to the homepage of PhpMyAdmin. In most of your web server you will have to enter a username and password to enter PhpMyAdmin. But because XAMPP runs on your local system this is not required.

STEP 3: Creating Database

We will be using this database name to be linked with Wordpress so that it can create tables and enter values in it. On the homepage of PhpMyAdmin you can see a field where you can create a new database. Please enter your desired name. Leave the next drop down to ‘Collation’ and click ‘Create’.

Fig: Enter Database name.

This will give you’re the result saying ‘Database word1 has been created’ as below.

Fig: Database created

STEP 4: Creating User

Now we have to create a new user to be linked with the database that we just created. This enables to give authentication to the database and only this user can access the database. We will then give this username to Wordpress so that it can use it to enter and delete values from the database.

To create a new User or ‘Privileges’ in PhpMyAdmin click on the home button on the left top corner. Now again click on ‘Privileges’ from the tabs. You will end up in the User Overview page where you can see all the users and check to which database they are linked to.

Fig: Add a New User

Below the list you can see a link that says ‘Add a new user’. Now in the ‘Add a New User’ form enter a username of your choice. Change the host to Local and press Tab. Then you can create your own password or let Mysql choose some weird password for you but definitely secure. The problem with this password is that it is hard to remember them.

Now we don’t want to give Global Rights to the user. Global Rights means that this user will be connected to all the databases which already exists in PhpMyAdmin and also will be linked to any database that you will create in the future. We don’t want that do we?

So leave the Global Privileges unchecked and proceed. You should see a screen which says ‘You have added a new user’.

STEP 5: Link the user to Database

Now again click on ‘Home’ and then back on ‘Privileges’. You can see our user listed in the User Overview. At the end of our user row you can see a small icon. Click on it to edit our user.

Fig: Edit User

This is the page where you will link the user to the database.

Below you will see a field with title ‘Database specific privileges’. Drop down the ‘Use text field:’ and select the database of your choice. In our case it is ‘word1’. Once you click on it, the page automatically refreshes to Database Privileges page. This is where you give the user complete rights or privileges. Select and ‘Check All’ and proceed.

Fig: Database Linking

You should see a screen which says ‘You have updated the privileges for ‘word1user’@'localhost’.

Fig: User linked to database

To check if you have done it correct click on the database link on the left panel ‘word1’. Then click on the ‘Privileges’ tab and check if you see the username there in the list with the Privileges set to ‘All Privileges’.

STEP 6: Installing Wordpress

Yes it is true. We have almost finished all the major part installing a Wordpress.

Now let’s extract the zip file that you downloaded from Wordpress. Once you have extracted we need to create the ‘config’ file. This will help tell Wordpress where to look for the database and using what username it can connect.

Wordpress basically supplies you with the configuration file. Search for the file name ‘wp-config-sample.php’. Open the file in notepad and REPLACE the following values.

‘putyourdbnamehere’ with ‘word1’
‘usernamehere’ with ‘word1user’
‘yourpasswordhere’ with ‘password’ (you have to type in the actual password here)

Fig: Edited Config File

Leave the rest of the values untouched. Now ‘Save As’ you file as ‘wp-config.php’ inside the same folder.

Upload the entire contents folder to the server. You can use Filezilla (a free FTP service) to upload content to your server. We assume here that when the user enters http://yourdomain.com he needs to see the wordpress running. If you want to create a blog based on wordpress then you need to create a separate folder called blog and then upload your contents into the folder. So that when the user enters http://blog.yourdomain.com he sees the Wordpress running.

In our case you have to upload the contents to ‘C:/xampp/htdocs/.’ Create a folder here named ‘wordpress’ and copy in the contents here. We upload specifically inside htdocs because XAMPP server will look into this folder only and execute the files. So hence forth whatever you create that needs the server technology you need to create a folder inside ‘htdocs’ and upload it there.

Now that we have uploaded our contents into the wordpress folder we shall enter the url.

Fig: Contents Location

In our case it is http://localhost/wordpress/. There you go. You can see the Wordpress Installation screen.

Fig: Wordpress Installation Screen

Create your site title and enter your permanent email id because this is where it will send you the password when you lose it. You can select if you want to be indexed by Google and other search engines and proceed further.

Wordpress will generate a dynamic password for you along with your admin username. Copy you password and get ready to enter into the admin panel. Click on ‘Log in’ and proceed. Enter your username as ‘admin’ and the password you copied.

The moment you login you will see a red bar on the top asking you to change your password. Click on it to take you there and you can change your password.

Fig: Change Passowrd

That’s it. You are all set to host your own personal domain and blog.

Wordpress has a wide variety of use. It can be used as a portfolio site, magazine site, blog, gallery and many more.

Please post in your doubts as comments below. Thanks for reading and hope this was helpful.