You should check why PHP isn’t running when called through Apache. What you need to do to fix this depends on your local environment. WordPress can’t help you with this. I’d recommend reaching out to a community that supports the server software you’re using.
@threadi – thanks for your response. Managed to find a workaround by setting the Apache DocumentRoot to the WordPress folder I extracted to (not ideal but it works!).
However, install.php now shows a Requirements Not Met message:
Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension which is required by WordPress.
Please check that the mysqli PHP extension is installed and enabled.
This despite php_mysqli.dll being installed in the ext directory & extension=mysqli set in php.ini
Not sure where to go with this now so any further help appreciated.
Thanks
Unfortunately, I don’t know what software you’re using. There are ready-made packages for this on Windows, such as XAMPP, localwp, etc. You can also install the services required by WordPress entirely manually. That’s why it’s difficult to help you with this, especially since configuring a hosting environment isn’t a WordPress theme in and of itself. That’s the job of the hosting provider, who needs to be familiar with it.
So if you need help with the configuration, check what exactly you’re using and see if you can find an online community for it. XAMPP, for example, has a large community here: https://www.apachefriends.org/community.html – depending on where you are on this beautiful planet, there might also be forums in your region that deal with this kind of thing.
If you’re looking for personal support, you’ll surely find it through this job board, which is actually specific to WordPress: https://jobs.wordpress.net
@threadi – thanks again. This was an entirely manual installation.
I tried to install WordPress on my PC so I could learn how to use it & set up a website design so I wasn’t paying a hosting company for the privilege of doing so, & could set up a hosting account once ready.
However, this is turning out to be too much hassle (which is strange as I decided to use WordPress specifically to make the web design process simpler).
So I’m binning the whole idea & will just take the cost hit with the hosting company – so much for a simple 5 minute install!
There are many ways to use WordPress in a wide variety of environments. If I understand you correctly, you just want to see how you can use WordPress in the first place. For that, I’d recommend starting with the Playground: https://playground.wordpress.net – WordPress runs right in your browser there, with no installation required. Here, you can explore the different possibilities without having to go through a complicated installation process. And it’s free.
If you absolutely want to run WordPress locally on your own computer, I’d recommend using the previously mentioned localwp. See: https://localwp.com – Alternatively, there are also guides on how to manually install WordPress locally, but those are intended more for developers and not for simply getting a feel for the CMS: https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/before-install/development/
And of course, you can also install WordPress with a hosting provider of your choice. There are plenty of options available.
You might also find this page helpful for getting to know the CMS: https://learn.wordpress.org
Actually, you were very close. The error indicates that Apache is serving PHP files as plain text, which means PHP is not connected to Apache properly. The next issue with mysqli means PHP is running but the MySQL extension is not loaded.
Check:
- Apache PHP module/FastCGI configuration
- The active
php.ini file (php --ini)
- Whether
extension=mysqli is enabled in the PHP configuration used by Apache
- Restart Apache after changes
