How to Successfully Install MediaWiki on Your Windows System- A Step-by-Step Guide
How to Install MediaWiki on Windows
Installing MediaWiki on Windows can be a straightforward process, especially if you follow the right steps. MediaWiki is a free and open-source wiki software that is used by Wikipedia and many other websites. It allows users to create and edit web content collaboratively. In this article, we will guide you through the process of installing MediaWiki on a Windows operating system.
Step 1: Requirements
Before you begin the installation process, make sure you have the following requirements:
– A Windows operating system (Windows 7 or later)
– A web server software, such as Apache, IIS, or Nginx
– PHP (version 5.4.0 or higher)
– MySQL (version 5.5 or higher)
Step 2: Download MediaWiki
First, you need to download the MediaWiki package from the official MediaWiki website. Go to Download and click on the “Download” link for the latest stable version of MediaWiki. Once the download is complete, extract the contents of the downloaded file to a directory on your Windows machine.
Step 3: Set Up the Web Server
If you are using Apache as your web server, you need to enable the mod_rewrite module. Open the Apache configuration file (httpd.conf) and look for the line that starts with “LoadModule rewrite_module modules/mod_rewrite.so.” Uncomment this line by removing the “” symbol at the beginning of the line. Save the file and restart the Apache service.
For IIS, you need to install the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager and enable the CGI feature. Once done, create a new directory for MediaWiki and set the execution permission to Scripts Only.
Step 4: Install PHP and MySQL
If you haven’t installed PHP and MySQL on your Windows machine yet, download and install them from their respective websites. Make sure to install PHP with the CGI module enabled and MySQL with the MySQL Server and MySQL Workbench components.
Step 5: Configure MediaWiki
Navigate to the MediaWiki directory you extracted in Step 2. Open the LocalSettings.php file in a text editor and make the following changes:
– Set the database connection parameters by replacing the placeholders with your MySQL username, password, and database name.
– Set the server path to the directory where you extracted the MediaWiki files.
Step 6: Run the Installation Script
Open your web browser and navigate to the following URL: http://localhost/mediawiki/index.php/Special:Install. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process. You will be prompted to enter the database connection details, language, and other preferences.
Step 7: Finalize the Installation
Once the installation is complete, you will be redirected to the MediaWiki main page. You can now start creating and editing content on your new MediaWiki installation.
In conclusion, installing MediaWiki on Windows is a relatively simple process, as long as you have the necessary requirements and follow the steps outlined in this article. Happy wiki-ing!
