If you want to install wordpress in your computer or laptop, here is how to do it easily.
Using Xampp you can install php and mysql which is needed to install wordpress, i will explain how i do this in my laptop (windows 7).

First i install Xampp in my laptop, you can download and read the instructions how to instal Xampp, here:

Code:

http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html

I install Xampp in c:/ directory, so after installed the path to xampp will be c:/xampp/
After installation, open your browser and type hxxp://localhost
this will take you to xampp menu where you can set up password for localhost and phpmyadmin by clicking the Security in the xampp menu.
After you have set the password, click the php myadmin in xampp menu and login with the password that you create earlier which next you can create a database for wordpress.
For creating database, you only need to type a name for the database and click the create new database.

After you follow all the steps above, now your computer is ready to install wordpress. Go to,

Code:

http://wordpress.org

and download the latest version of wordpress (zip version), inside the archive there is a folder called 'wordpress' ekstract the folder to c:/xampp/htdocs/
so the wordpress path will be c:/xampp/htdocs/wordpress/ or if you open the browser, type hxxp://localhost/wordpress/
which will take you to the wordpress installation page. But you will see an error page because the configuration file (wp-config.php) is missing. To fix it, click on the "create configuration file"
and fill the database name, mysql user and password with the same that you have made when creating password for php myadmin and creating the database name in xampp.
Next fill the administration for the blog (admin user and password). After that you should have wordpress successfully installed in your computer.

If you wondering why do you want to install wordpress in your computer, here is what i did with wordpress installed in my laptop:
I can test themes and plugins.
I can scrape articles and content for my real blog using plugins like wprobot.
Well, there just so many thing that you can do wordpress, and it easier to manage in your own computer.

Wamp is another server setup you can use (my preferred local windows server). Great Tut nonetheless and great suggestion with WP-Robot...I didn't even think of that one

Originally Posted by dss234

......or if you open the browser, type hxxp://localhost/wordpress/
which will take you to the wordpress installation page. But you will see an error page because the configuration file (wp-config.php) is missing. To fix it, click on the "create configuration file"
and fill the database name, mysql user and password with the same that you have made when creating password for php myadmin and creating the database name in xampp.
Next fill the administration for the blog (admin user and password). After that you should have wordpress successfully installed in your computer.

This part doesn't work, I have unziped the wordpress folder in C:/xampp/ and when I type http://localhost/wordpress in Firefox I get an error that says "Object not found" and there is no "Create Configuration File" link to click on.......any ideas??? Thanks

Yes, you are right, i have edit the tutorial. Wordpress should be extracted to c:/xampp/htdocs not to c:/xampp
I am sorry for that, i confirm again, extract wordpress folder to c:/xampp/htdocs
It should work now.

After installing how can i access it anywhere?
With my ip? is it the basic internet ip?

And how to map domain on it? sorry, i am doing it for the first time.

Originally Posted by gsmdna.com

After installing how can i access it anywhere?
With my ip? is it the basic internet ip?

And how to map domain on it? sorry, i am doing it for the first time.

If you go to Firefox (or IE or chrome or the navigator you use) and write this http://localhost/wordpress and hit enter, this shoud take you to the wordpress login page (or the page where you can create the configuration file)

Can I use any other server that works with Wordpress or is it only Xamp