Installing XAMPP

[zicogold]

I have been following a tutorial that states the following:

# Go to the Start menu -> Apache Friends -> XAMPP -> XAMPP httpdoc folder -> and create a new folder called phpbb where you will copy the uncompressed version of phpBB you downloaded.
# Finally, go to http://localhost/phpbb and follow the instructions.

I am installing on Vista Home Edition, I have a folder XAMPP and there is a folder in this directory that is named htpdocs (no httpdoc). I did try creating a folder phpbb in htpdocs, however I got a 404 error when I accessed http://localhost/phpbb. Where do I copy the uncompressed version?

[Wiedmann]

and there is a folder in this directory that is named htpdocs

You mean "htdocs" (instead of "htpdocs")?

[zicogold]

Ok, "htdocs"it is. Where do I copy the uncompressed copy of phpBB?

[Izzy]

Ok, "htdocs"it is. Where do I copy the uncompressed copy of phpBB?

In an XAMPP default installation you would extract (drag and drop) the files from the archive folder phpBB3 into a folder phpbb or forum that you have previously created in C:\xampp\htdocs\ - your choice but make sure that when you unpack the files it does not create another folder C:\xampp\htdocs\phpbb\phpBB3 or C:\xampp\htdocs\forum\phpBB3 simply extract all the files and folders contained in the archive folder phpBB3 folder not the phpBB3 folder as well.

In the first example where you created the phpbb folder in the htdocs folder and all the files are extracted to here C:\xampp\htdocs\phpbb by opening the archive folder phpBB3 and dragging all the files and folders and dropping them in to this phpbb folder then you should be able to load http://localhost/phpbb in your browser and get the start page.

Make sure that you use the correct letter case as phpBB is treated differently to phpbb so in a URI if you use http://localhost/phpBB then the folder has to be named phpBB not phpbb - for a folder named phpbb (lowercase) then you would use http://localhost/phpbb - so the error message would be 404 file not found if the case of a folder was different to the address in the browser.

If you get server errors like 404 'file not found' for example, then check out the C:\xampp\apache\logs\error.log file for clues to why this error.

Also worth a mention is when editing files on your server at localhost level then clear your browser's cache often to prevent a cached page, instead of the fresh edited page from being served.

[zicogold]

Thank-you Izzy, it appears my problem began in the first step when I installed xampp into c:\xampp, I needed to simply install into the c directory.