Guides
Step-by-step guides
Short, tested walkthroughs for the local setups people search for most, from a first Laravel app on Windows to getting a crashed XAMPP MySQL back.
- Install Laravel on Windows in 5 minutesInstall PHP, Composer and MySQL, create a Laravel app and open it at a trusted https://blog.test address on Windows 10/11. No Docker, no WSL, no hosts-file edits.Windows 10/11 (x64) · About 5 minutes
- Run WordPress locallyCreate a local WordPress site with its database and admin user from one dialog, served at a trusted https://shop.test address on Windows or macOS.Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon) · About 5 minutes
- Multiple PHP versions on WindowsInstall PHP 7.4 through 8.5 side by side on Windows, pin a version per site and call any version from the terminal, without editing php.ini paths or FastCGI configs.Windows 10/11 (x64) · About 10 minutes
- XAMPP “MySQL shutdown unexpectedly”: the fixWhy XAMPP’s MySQL stops with “shutdown unexpectedly”, the data-folder fix that brings your databases back, and how to move them to a maintained stack so it stops happening.Windows 10/11 with XAMPP in C:\xampp · About 15 minutes
- XAMPP Apache won’t start: port 80 or 443 in useFind what holds port 80 or 443 on Windows (IIS and other services behind PID 4, Skype, VMware, another stack), free the port or move Apache to other ports, and get XAMPP’s Apache running again.Windows 10/11 with XAMPP in C:\xampp · About 10 minutes
- phpMyAdmin #1045 “Access denied for user root@localhost”: the fixWhy phpMyAdmin shows “#1045 - Access denied for user root@localhost”, how to tell a wrong password from a missing one, the config.inc.php lines to check, and how to reset the MySQL or MariaDB root password.Windows 10/11 with XAMPP in C:\xampp (the checks apply to any phpMyAdmin) · About 10 minutes
- “composer is not recognized” on Windows: fix PATH for PHP and ComposerWhy Windows says “composer” or “php” is not recognized as an internal or external command, how PATH decides which program runs, and how to fix it for PHP, Composer and global tools like the Laravel installer.Windows 10/11 · About 10 minutes
- Install PHP 8.4 on Windows (and keep other versions)Install PHP 8.4 on Windows 10/11: thread-safe or non-thread-safe, the Visual C++ runtime, php.ini, extensions and PATH, plus how to keep PHP 8.3 or 7.4 next to it.Windows 10/11 (x64) · About 15 minutes