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The easiest way to do this is use EasyPHP, a package that bundles all the software you need into a single Windows application. Here are the steps from start to finish:
{{Installing Moodle}}


Firstly, if you have ever installed MySQL before (even as part of another package), uninstall it all, delete all the MySQL files and make sure you delete c:\my.cnf and c:\windows\my.ini.You might want to do a search and delete ANY file called my.cnf or my.ini.
==Known problems==


If you've ever installed PHP before delete any files called php4ts.dll from around your Windows directory, as well as any files called php.ini.
Windows is not suitable for large Moodle installations because PHP for Windows does not support 64-bit integer numbers, even if it is running on 64-bit Windows in 64-bit mode. One of the  problems is that Moodle may fail to access data if there are more than 2 billion records in one database table because the id column is too big for integers. Another limitation is a maximum file size of 2GB, which can cause problems (for example) when making backups of large courses. Please consider a different operating system with full 64-bit support for very large installations.


Download EasyPHP from here: http://www.easyphp.org/telechargements/dn.php?F=easyphp1-6.php3 (approx 10 Mb)
==Installation Packages==
If you are running a small (less than 30 users) Moodle server or just want to test Moodle on your Windows  PC, pre-built packages are available for you to use. Here are links to pages containing step-by-step instructions for installing Moodle using install packages:


Run the downloaded file: easyphp1-6_setup.exe. The installation process is in French but is otherwise much like installing any other Windows program - I advise accepting the defaults and letting it all install. Note that "Suivant" means Next.and "Oui" means Yes.
*[[Complete install packages for Windows]] for most Windows versions
*[[Windows installation using Git|Installation guide for Windows using WAMP and Git]] How to install Moodle on your Windows PC and update it regularly via Git.


At the end of the install leave the checkbox selected to "Lancer EasyPHP" (Start EasyPHP) and hit the 'Terminer" button.You might be taken to a information web page which you can safely ignore.
*[[Windows installation using XAMPP|Installation guide for Windows using XAMPP]] A more typical webserver installation than a complete install package. Both use XAMPP.


If all went well - congratulations! Apache, PHP and MySQL are all installed and running! You should see a black E in your toolbar tray. You can right click on it to get a menu which will let you control the running programs, but you won't be needing that for now.
*[[Installation guide for Windows using EasyPHP]]


The next thing you need to do is to set up a database for Moodle to use. Using a browser, go to httphttp://localhost/mysql/ (note the final slash).
== Manual Installation ==
For medium to large installations (e.g. a college, university or business), it is best practice to install Moodle on your server manually.  


If asked for a username, use "root" with a blank password. You should see a phpMyAdmin web interface that allows you to create a new databases and user accounts.
* '''Plan your system capacity'''. This involves estimating the appropriate hardware to support the number of users in your organisation. See [[Installing Moodle#How_many_users.3F| Installing Moodle ]] in the How Many Users section for a method of doing this.
* '''Install your database server'''. You have a choice of [http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/ MySQL]/[http://mariadb.org/ MariaDB] (recommended), [http://www.postgresql.org/download/ PostgreSQL] (recommended), [[Installing MSSQL for PHP | Microsoft SQL Server 2005]] or Oracle (not recommended).
* '''Install your web server'''. You have several choices - the decision as to which one to use will depend on your in-house expertise and your required level of sustainability:
**Apache 2 is recommended as the most tested and popular for Moodle installations. See these instructions for [[Installing Apache on Windows |manually installing Apache 2 on Windows]].
**IIS 7/8 server can also be used. See these instructions for [[Internet Information Services|Installing and configuring IIS and PHP on Windows]].
**Other webservers are known to install on Windows, e.g. Lighttpd, so you may wish to experiment with these if available memory is low on your server.
* '''Install PHP'''. Use Microsoft Web Platform Installer when using [[IIS]] server.
* '''Install Moodle''' by getting the standard installation for Moodle from [http://download.moodle.org/ http://download.moodle.org/] and read [[Installing Moodle]] which has detailed generic information.
* '''Setup backups'''. Once Moodle is setup and configured, you should setup backups of the system in case of failure or loss of data.
** '''To perform full site backups''' you need to backup the moodledata and moodle directories, Apache webserver configuration (httpd.conf) if you're using Apache, PHP configuration (php.ini) and any php extensions which are non-standard, and the mysql database. To do this use the integrated backup program (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup) or your own proprietary backup software (e.g. BackupExec). To backup your mysql database see the [[Backup and restore FAQ]].
** '''To perform course backups''' see the [[Course backup]] page.
** You should also perform a '''state backup''' of the [http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsServer/en/library/921f0ed5-523d-48ac-8825-e850b0e548841033.mspx?mfr=true server] or [http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/ntbackup_backup_sysstate.mspx?mfr=true PC]. This is especially important if you're using IIS as this will backup the IIS metabase.
* '''Check your server security and performance'''. It is also good practice to read the [[Performance]] and [[Security]] documentation. Although much of the content is targeted at Linux/Unix users, there is a growing amount for Windows systems.
* Set-up your '''Active Directory authentication'''. You can use the standard [[LDAP authentication]] which prompts users with a username/password, or [[NTLM authentication | integrated NTLM authentication]] which does not require campus users to enter their credentials.


Create a new database by typing "moodle" into the field and hitting the "Create" button. That was easy!
== See also ==


You can also create a new user to access your database if you want. This can be a bit tricky for a first-time user, so you might just want to use the existing user "root" with no password in your Moodle config for now, and fix this later.
* [[Manual install on Windows 7 with Apache and MySQL]]
 
* [[Installing APC in Windows]] contains instructions for using a PHP accelerator to reduce processor load.
You're ready to install Moodle! Download the latest release of Moodle from httphttp://moodle.org/download, then unzip the archive.
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=56835 Running Apache and IIS on the same server] forum discussion.
 
Copy your moodle files into C:\Program Files\EasyPHP\www. You can either copy the entire moodle directory (ie C:\Program Files\EasyPHP\www\moodle) or copy all the contents of the moodle directory. If you choose this second option then you will be able to access your Moodle home page using httphttp://localhost/ instead of httphttp://localhost/moodle/.
 
Make a new empty folder somewhere else for Moodle to store uploaded files in, eg: C:\moodledata
 
Go into your Moodle folder. Make a copy of config-dist.php, and call it config.php
 
Edit config.php using a text editor (Notepad will do, just be careful that it doesn't add unwanted spaces at the end).
 
Put in all your new database info $CFG->dbtype = 'mysql'; $CFG->dbhost = 'localhost'; $CFG->dbname = 'moodle'; $CFG->dbuser = 'root'; $CFG->dbpass = ''; $CFG->dbpersist = true; $CFG->prefix = 'mdl_';
 
And put in all your file paths $CFG->wwwroot = 'httphttp://localhost/moodle'; // Use an external address if you know it. $CFG->dirroot = 'C:\Program Files\EasyPHP\www\moodle'; $CFG->dataroot = 'C:\moodledata'; Save config.php - you can ignore the other settings if there are any.
 
You're nearly there now! The rest of the setup is all web-based. Visit httphttp://localhost/moodle/admin/ with your browser to continue the setup via your browser.

Latest revision as of 02:17, 19 October 2014


Known problems

Windows is not suitable for large Moodle installations because PHP for Windows does not support 64-bit integer numbers, even if it is running on 64-bit Windows in 64-bit mode. One of the problems is that Moodle may fail to access data if there are more than 2 billion records in one database table because the id column is too big for integers. Another limitation is a maximum file size of 2GB, which can cause problems (for example) when making backups of large courses. Please consider a different operating system with full 64-bit support for very large installations.

Installation Packages

If you are running a small (less than 30 users) Moodle server or just want to test Moodle on your Windows PC, pre-built packages are available for you to use. Here are links to pages containing step-by-step instructions for installing Moodle using install packages:

Manual Installation

For medium to large installations (e.g. a college, university or business), it is best practice to install Moodle on your server manually.

  • Plan your system capacity. This involves estimating the appropriate hardware to support the number of users in your organisation. See Installing Moodle in the How Many Users section for a method of doing this.
  • Install your database server. You have a choice of MySQL/MariaDB (recommended), PostgreSQL (recommended), Microsoft SQL Server 2005 or Oracle (not recommended).
  • Install your web server. You have several choices - the decision as to which one to use will depend on your in-house expertise and your required level of sustainability:
  • Install PHP. Use Microsoft Web Platform Installer when using IIS server.
  • Install Moodle by getting the standard installation for Moodle from http://download.moodle.org/ and read Installing Moodle which has detailed generic information.
  • Setup backups. Once Moodle is setup and configured, you should setup backups of the system in case of failure or loss of data.
    • To perform full site backups you need to backup the moodledata and moodle directories, Apache webserver configuration (httpd.conf) if you're using Apache, PHP configuration (php.ini) and any php extensions which are non-standard, and the mysql database. To do this use the integrated backup program (Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Backup) or your own proprietary backup software (e.g. BackupExec). To backup your mysql database see the Backup and restore FAQ.
    • To perform course backups see the Course backup page.
    • You should also perform a state backup of the server or PC. This is especially important if you're using IIS as this will backup the IIS metabase.
  • Check your server security and performance. It is also good practice to read the Performance and Security documentation. Although much of the content is targeted at Linux/Unix users, there is a growing amount for Windows systems.
  • Set-up your Active Directory authentication. You can use the standard LDAP authentication which prompts users with a username/password, or integrated NTLM authentication which does not require campus users to enter their credentials.

See also

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