Tutorial : Installing Joomla

Browser Installation (the easy way)

When installing Joomla for the first time, verify the system requirements previously stated above first!

Assuming you have a working Apache web server, with PHP and a MySQL Database, you are on your way to installing Joomla.

When you have finished uploading the files and folders, go to your homepage (http://www.yoursite.com or http://yoursite.com/joomla_folder). You should now see a pre-installation check page generated by Joomla.

Pre-installation check

If you don't see the Check page please verify the following:

• Was everything uploaded to your web site?


• Did you remove (and back up) your old web site?


• Do you really have an Apache / MySQL / PHP Web server?


• Do you have a configuration.php file in your Joomla directory?


• If everything checks out ok, and you still don't see the Check page, try: http://www.yourpage.com/installation/index.php This is the direct address for the Check page. If it doesn't show up, or you see a lot of errors and techno mumbo-jumbo, you probably don't have an an Apache / MySQL / PHP Web server.

The pre-installation check page is in three parts. The first checks that your system is able to run Joomla:

The second part are some PHP settings:

The thrid part checks several file and directory permissions:

If everything checks out ok click the "Next button".

If there are some items highlighted in red, please ask your web service provider to correct them. If it is not possible to correct them yourself, you can still click "Next", and see what happens.

The next page displays the license for Joomla.

Licence

If you agree with the terms, click the checkbox next to "I Accept the GPL License" and the click the "Next" button. You will not be able to proceed unless you agree to the license terms.

The next page configures the MySQL database which Step 1 of the installation process.

Installation - Step 1

Enter the configuration of your MySQL Database. The hostname of your database is usually localhost. This means the database server is running on the same computer as your web server. On occasions where localhost is not a usable database server, you will need to contact your administrator.

You are given the option to delete the existing tables in the nominated database and also to backup the tables. You may also install come sample data. If this is your first installation we recommend you check this option.

When you have entered your database information properly, click the "Next" Button. You will be asked to confirm the database operation.

Click OK if you are satisfied that you can proceed. The database will be populated between this and the next step. Any errors that occurred during initialisation of the database will be displayed on the next page.

Installation - Step 2

Step 2 is simply a page where you enter the name of your site.

Enter a name for your site and click the "Next" button. Please note that special characters are usable in this information area.

Installation - Step 3

Step 3 is a page to confirm the installation directory, the url to the Joomla site, your email address and the administrator password.

The email address is for your Super Administrator email. This user account is automatically created for you. The password you enter will be used for your "admin" account. The username for the Super Administrator is "admin". You may change the randomly generated password if you desire.



The permission settings will be used while installing Joomla itself, by the Joomla addon-installers and by the media manager. If you are unsure what flags shall be set, leave the default settings at the moment. You can still change these flags later in the site global configuration.

Click the "Next" icon. The final page confirms the status of the installation and the Super Administrator login name and password.

Installation - Step 4

Do not forget your Super Administrator login name and password as it is not possible to enter the admin section without this. If you lose this information, you must the restart the complete set up procedure.

For security reasons you are reminded to delete the installation folder, and then refresh the page. Until this is done, Joomla will not work.

There are two buttons that will take you to either the Joomla Site or the Site Administrator. If this is your first installation click the "View Site" button. You should see your new Joomla site. Take a moment to explore some menu options. When you are ready, click the "Administrator" link in the Main Menu. Enter the user name and password as you saw them on the Step 4 page.

If this is not your first time then you will know what to do next.

Your set up has now been completed, and you are ready to JOOMLA!