View source for Installing Joomla

{{JVer|1.7}}{{JVer|2.5}}

Installing Joomla! 1.7 for the first time is very easy.  Joomla!’s built-in installer makes setting up your new site a breeze.

Before we start installing Joomla! 1.7, there are a couple prerequisites that need to be met to install successfully:

*Hosting - whether you have a dedicated server, or shared hosting plan, you’ll need some sort of web hosting that meets the following requirements:
**PHP v. 5.2+
**MySQL 5.04+
**Apache 1.3
*MySQL Database - you’ll need access to a MySQL database, as well as the following credentials.
**DB Name
**Host Name
**Username
**Password
*FTP Client - for transferring files to your server.  If you don’t already have an FTP client that you use, we recommend [http://filezilla-project.org/download.php?type=client Filezilla]
*Latest Release of Joomla! 1.7 - you can find that here [http://www.joomla.org/download.html Download] .

With these requirements met, and resources in place, we are ready to install Joomla!

To begin our installation, we’ll first need to move our Joomla! installation package to the server.  This can be accomplished by simply moving the downloaded package to your server, then unpacking it.  Or you can unpack the files on your local computer, then move the Joomla! installation over to your server.  Either way, the Joomla! installation needs to be unpacked in the root of your site.

Caution - if you unpack the files on your own computer, then copy them to your server, be sure to only move the files contained INSIDE the Joomla! package.  If you transfer the Joomla! folder as well, your site will be accessed at yoursite.com/Joomla instead of yoursite.com

With the files moved over to your server, access the Joomla! installation through your web browser by accessing the domain or directory that the files were moved to (for example, 'http://www.yoursite.com/installation').  If all your files are moved correctly, you should see an installation page like this:

[[File:J17installscreen1.png|700px]]

From here, the Joomla! installer makes it very easy to install Joomla! 1.7  The first step is to select your language in the screen above, then press the 'Next' button in the upper right corner.

The next step runs a series of system and server checks to ensure that Joomla! will be able to install, and function correctly.  The top section of items should all be green and 'Yes'.  If any are not (they'll be red and say "No") then you will need to take action to correct them.  The bottom section of items are not required, but are recommended to ensure that Joomla! can operate smoothly.

[[File:J17installscreen2.png|700px]]

The third step to installing Joomla! 1.7 is the license.  This is the software license agreement for Joomla! use, and simply requires you to press 'Next' in the top right corner after reviewing.

[[File:J17installscreen5.png|700px]]

The Fourth Step is configuring the database connection for Joomla!  Here you will need to enter the Hostname, User name, password, and database name for the MySQL database you have set up.  An additional option is to change the Table prefix.  This may be helpful for security purposes.  This will alter the names of all the Joomla! tables, by changing the prefix to whatever characters you put there.

[[File:J17installscreen3.png|700px]]

Step Five is the ftp configuration.  This is an optional step for most sites, and typically is not used.  If you would like to enable the ftp layer, simply add your ftp credentials to the options here.

[[File:J17installscreen6.png|700px]]

Step Six, and the last process to install Joomla!, is the site configuration!  Here you can add in a site Name, username, password, and email for the administrator, as well as install the Sample Content that can help with starting a new site.

[[File:J17installscreen7.png|700px]]

With that done, Joomla! is now installed!  The last step needed is to remove the installation directory - and the Joomla! installer does this for you as well!  This needs removed for security reasons, to prevent anyone else from coming along and installing Joomla! again over your existing site.  To do this, simple click the "Remove Installation Directory" button.

[[File:J17installscreen10.png|700px]]

[[Category:Installation]]
[[Category:Joomla! 1.7]]