Installing WordPress
Installing WordPress is incredibly simple, especially when compared to installing any other kind of script.
There are two different ways WordPress can be installed. If you have cPanel / Fantastico, installing WordPress can literally take all of 30 seconds.
Without cPanel or Fantastico, you’ll have to do the manual setup. The manual setup process can take some time, primarily due to the fact that you have to upload a lot of files.
Here’s how to setup WordPress using both methods.
WordPress Setup – cPanel
Step 1: Go to Fantastico – Log into your cPanel interface. Navigate to the Fantastico button.
Step 2: Installing WordPress – Click “WordPress” in the navigation menu within Fantastico.
Choose “New Installation.”
Select the site you want to install WordPress on.
Finally, enter a username and password.
Click “install” and WordPress will be installed in 10 seconds. It’s that simple!
WordPress Setup – Manual
If you’re using a web host that doesn’t have cPanel, Fantastico or another one-click install package, you’ll have to install WordPress yourself. Here’s how…
Step 1: Download WordPress – Go to http://wordpress.org/download/ and download the latest version of WordPress.
Step 2: Unzip WordPress – Extract the .zip file on your computer.
Step 3: Create a Database & Database User – Create a MySQL database and a user with full privileges for that database. Since each control panel has a slightly different MySQL interface, if your host has a significantly different interface, consult your help files on how to create and assign a MySQL database.
Here’s how it’s done in Hostgator’s cPanel.
Start by accessing the MySQL interface.
Create a new database.
Create a new user.
Add that user to the database.
Again, the process may look different in different control panels. However, the main concept is the same: Create a database and add an authorized user to that database.
Step 4: Rename & Edit the “wp-config” File – Rename the “wp-config-sample.php” to “wp-config.php”.
Open the wp-config.php file. Edit the database and username information to reflect the database you’ve setup. You’ll also need to assign a password.
There are quite a few other options you can input in your wp-config.php file. To learn more about advanced features like security keys and using multiple WordPress setups in one database, go to:
http://codex.wordpress.org/Editing_wp-config.php
Step 5: Upload All Your Files – Upload all the files in the WordPress setup using an FTP client. Even on a fast connection, this can take as long as half an hour.
Step 6: Run the Install Script – Go to wp-admin/install.php in your WordPress domain. This will launch the install script which will finalize the installation process. Let the script run. After it’s done, your installation is complete.
That’s all there is to it! If you have cPanel or Fantastico, the whole installation process can be done in an instant. Without cPanel, the manual installation process takes about 15 minutes, not including the time to upload files.
Next in the Installing WordPress series : Adjust Settings
