When I got many messages like this:
WARNING: fopencc:\Xampp-win32-1.2\xampp\webdav\ht access>:failed to open stream: Permission Denied in C: \xampp-win32-1.2\xammp\install\install.php
May not be writable
I started fresh, deleting all files and downloading again
I unselected the 'read only' checkbox in properties for all the files.
started "setup_xampp.bat" and entered number 2 (without Mod Pearl)
installation ended successfully
I started the Apache 2 with "apache_start".bat" then
started MySQL with "mysql_start".bat"
This is where I am now. Nothing happens. (I left it alone for 2 hrs, still nothing) I then closed with mysql_stop.bat