Newbie help on Apache config

[Jevans]

Hello.

New to XAMPP and the forum. I Have XAMPP installed and running. I plan on installing a local copy of Joomla on top of Xampp, but I am a bit confused about which configuration files (.htaccess, php.ini, etc.) and which services to activate for a local Joomla install.

If Joomla is installed on top of XAMPP, do I use the XAMPP configuration utility to start/manage/configure the services/security and add the SQL database, or do I use the Joomla stack interface? Does it matter? Are Joomla and XAMPP using the same set of configuration files?

I had an initial copy of Joomla up and running after install with absolutely no changes to any configuration, but I'm just not sure of the relationship between the XAMPP and Jooma admin interfaces. I understand all of the necessary steps to configure Apache, MySQL, PhP on a remote server, but having trouble understanding where to make config changes. I plan on asking the same question in the Joomla forums, just wanted to get a complete answer on the XAMPP specifics.

Thanks

Jayme