Local install on personal machine

wow I installed xampp and I still get the cannot load mysql extension error. I think I’m ready to give up /\

This is what the FAQ says for the error i am getting. How does this help you resolve this? [1.20] I receive the error “cannot load MySQL extension, please check PHP Configuration”.
To connect to a MySQL server, PHP needs a set of MySQL functions called “MySQL extension”. This extension may be part of the PHP distribution (compiled-in), otherwise it needs to be loaded dynamically. Its name is probably mysql.so or php_mysql.dll. phpMyAdmin tried to load the extension but failed.

Usually, the problem is solved by installing a software package called “PHP-MySQL” or something similar.

This is absolutely no help at all. Oh well

Bear with me as I’m doing this by memory (on my ibook).

When you install the newest php distro from php.net (php5) you need to set up the mysql setting a little differently than before.

I think in the readme for php there is a few lines that point you to changeing the php.ini file for php under windows. Try and look those up – if you don’t have any luck, I’ll try and look them up tomorrow when I’m in front of my PC.

Good luck.

I’m going to try this local install, too. I’ve been trying to make a new design using saved html files with Topstyle and then having to convert them back to php files. Sounds like this would save me some time.

@dinonet: Either you have a serious problem with your machine – or you didn’t start Apache and the MySQL server at all?

I get a fresh XAMPP installed and running plus a new database in less then five minutes … hardly more then five or so clicks needed …

I have been running web sites on Apache and have PHP installed and it all works. Then I installed MYSQL and it seemed to install fine. I try to instalal phpmyadmin and it keeps giving me this error

cannot load mysql extension,
please check PHP Configuration
Documentation

I installed XAMPP and it does the same thing anyways. Not sure if it’s a serious problem with my machine. There’s probably something I need to change in a configuration file that I can’t figure out. Guess I’ll keep trying.

I’m having exactly the same problem as dinonet.

Apache is installed and IS running, according to the GUI “Service Configuration” app in Fedora.
PHP 4.3 is installed and IS enabled.
MySQL 3.23.58 is installed and IS running, according to “Service Configuration”.
Currently running Fedora Core 3

I’ve poked around in every config file Googling helped me find and as far as I know this stuff should all be humming. I’ve reconfigured and restarted all of those things. Yet I get the “cannot load mysql extension, please check PHP Configuration” error every time I try to look at anything in phpmyadmin/ . A ‘Hello World!’ PHP file I made in the root html directory works fine. So Apache and PHP are definitely on and working. phpMyAdmin can’t seem to find MySQL. Once again, YES, mysql is installed and so is php-mysql. Once again, YES, mysql is running.

This is not a problem exclusively dinonet’s. There is something missing in the instructions and the documentation. What is it? Everyone else seems to have such an easy time with *AMP.

Why can’t PHP load the mysql extension?

Have you tried #wordpress on irc.freenode ?
Clever people in there y’know !

An extra bit of confusion: the command “# php -m” returns a list of installed php modules, which INCLUDES “mysql”

better yet, I put the phpinfo script in the top level directory, “/var/www/html/”, and the script works fine. However, if I run it from /var/www/html/phpmyadmin/phpinfo.php I get the “cannot load mysql extension…” error.

Fascinating!

Dionet: take a look at the xampp readme (I didn’t, either, that’s how I ended up here).

The problem arises because php5 no longer works out of the box with mysql, instead using sqlite or something due to licensing issues. Though that might be licencing issues with xampp. I don’t really know / care too much.

I figured the easiest way to solve my problem was just to change to php4. Fortunately xampp lets you do this.

Firstly, run the setup_xampp.bat to get things as they should be with ports and stuff.

The run php-switch.bat which offers you the choice to toggle between php5 and php4.

And that seems to work.

However… on going to check out phpmyadmin I get “Warning: Illegal offset type in C:\xampp\phpmyadmin\libraries\grab_globals.lib.php on line 74”, but I figure this is progress. I’d be interested to know if you get that, too. When I’ve nailed that I’ll keep you posted.

ok – seems that most people might not have that problem with the grab globals thing – it’s to do with Zend Optimiser. If you do use it, upgrade it to > 2.5.7; it’s free. https://www.zend.com/store/free_download.php?pid=13

Hey! I wanted to say thank you to ‘noname’, whoever you are. I read the post about installing xampp so easily, and hey it worked like a dream! wow.
I’ve been fighting for a couple days now to get a simple testing server set up to try creating my own themes. First tried sambar and got php and mysql all together and talking to each other, I thought, and… wordpress couldn’t connect to the database. Then I did try xampp (without the instructions from ‘noname’) and must’ve done something wrong. Tried a couple other things, came back to sambar trying to make it work, but I’m no wizard.
Then I saw the post making it sound so easy with xampp. Thank you! Now I can go sleep.

Fyi, on a clean machine I followed Noname’s instructions above to the letter, and it worked perfectly.

I can’t figure out how to run XAMPP on a mac. Argh.