Can't start servers.

[Hopestation]

Hi.
I have used xampp on windows for many years. Now I want to use it on two Linux PCs, one using Mint_17.3 and the other using Mint-18.3.
I can't get xampp to work on either of them.
The Mint_18 PC has xampp 7.2.7-0 installed in /opt/lampp.
When I installed it, the Control Panel appeared and the introductory page appeared in my browser.
I have gone into /var/www/and renamed index.html as index.html.orig and after a refresh the web page now shows Index of/ with the renamed file.
I went back to the Control Panel and tried to start the MySql Database and Apache Web Servers but both say starting and then return to stopped.
At this point I am lost, the Windows version just works after installation. Presumably I have to do something more in Linux, but I don't know what.
Can anyone explain the next steps. I've read a lot of on-line articles but none have helped.
Thanks.

[Nobbie]

If /var/www/html shows up in the browser, you already have installed and running another Apache. Therefore Xampp cannot start, you cannot run two Apaches. Xampp delivers from /opt/lampp/htdocs instead of /var/www/html

You probably have also another MySQL installation running. You should remember, as Mint does NOT install them without user interaction. You must have installed them by yourself.

[Hopestation]

Thanks for your help. Nobbie.

I've started afresh this morning and after switching on I went straight to XAMPP control panel and clicked on Go To Application. I got Servers not running and chose Ignore.
This took me to the /var/www localhost. I tried opening my folder which is in htdocs of /opt/lampp and it failed because it is in a different localhost.

I went back to Manage Servers and tried starting the Apache Web Server but again I got Starting followed by Stopped.

When I clicked on Get Started I went to the Bitnami for XAMPP page which describes installation. This doesn't make any sense.

I started this installation by deleting the /opt/lampp folder then downloading and running xampp-linux-x64-7.2.7-0-installer.run.

This put all the files in the /opt/lampp folder. Bitami's instructions say that I need to have an XAMPP stack installed and then I should download the the Bitami XAMPP modules.

Is this what I have missed. I have never seen forms asking me to choose an installation folder or create an Admin account.

Finally, what is Go to Application supposed to do? Is this the way to get into MYphpAdmin? I have found any other way of doing it.

[Hopestation]

I looked on-line and found I could list running servers with: sudo netstat -nlp |grep 80.

This produced

tcp6 0 0 :::80 :::* LISTEN 1363/apache2
udp6 0 0 fe80::8aeb:3b06:37e:123 :::* 1298/ntpd
unix 2 [ ACC ] STREAM LISTENING 23809 1507/cinnamon-sessi @/tmp/.ICE-unix/1507
unix 2 [ ACC ] STREAM LISTENING 28083 983/NetworkManager /var/run/NetworkManager/private-dhcp

Running /etc/init.d/apache2 stop allowed me to start the Apache Web Server but I still can't start the MySQL Server.

Is one of the above a MySQL server? If not, how do I find for a running MySQL server and stop it?

[Hopestation]

I found out to delete all other versions of MySql on the PC and was able to get both servers running, but I still had no idea how to start phpMyAdmin.

When I clicked on Go To Application I got the Dashboard page.

I finally realised that by clicking on phpMyAdmin in the top bar I got into the database.

Compared with the Windows version, where you start the servers and just click on the Admin button, this not very user friendly.

It seems that whenever one mentions Linux it must immediately be made confusing for non geeks.

Thanks for your help.

[Hopestation]

Having got the Mint 18 version working on my laptop I thought it would be simple to get it working on my desktop PC, which uses Mint 17.3.

But I forgot this is Linux, so of course it wasn't.

I removed the previous contents on /lampp and installed a new version: xampp-linux-x64-7.0.30-0-installer.run.

I ran this and everything installed. I got the Bitanami Control panel with Welcome to XAMPP7.0.30-0.

Both web servers started, so I was ready to go, but the only button on the Welcome page that does anything is"Open Application Folder".

How can this be possible with a new installation?