Stuck installing local site

Hello,

My website on the server is already up and running and I want to make modifications to it on a duplicate 'test' site on my pc. I am following the link below exactly to help set up a local site.

http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?61069-Setting-up-Zen-Cart-on-Windows-XP-using-Xampp-a-howto&highlight=xampp+wampp

All was going well until I got to the the section under Install the Zen Cart Program, in particular the Database Setup. I am being asked to enter the Database Username and Database Password. What do I put in here?? No matter what I enter, it is coming up with the message:

Connection to database failed
Access denied for user 'xxxx'@'localhost'....

I have been trying to get my website set up on local for days now and am struggling to find a decent step by step how to.

Joanna

What do I put in here??
The database name is the name you used to create the database as described earlier in the the post you referenced.
The username and password is the same as that used to access phpmyadmin.

OK thx, I will try it, but in the meantime when I now log into http://localhost/xampp, I am getting this page when clicking on phpmyadmin

How do I return to the page where I can enter the details in database setup?

Why are you installing v1.2.x ?

DrByte:

Why are you installing v1.2.x ?

Err, I was just following the instructions shown in my first post. Have I gone wrong somewhere? I installed what I thought was the most recent version of Xampp from apachefriends.org.

When you started this post here on the Zen Cart forum, you selected "Zen Cart v1.2.x" from the list of Zen Cart versions. Zen Cart v1.2.x is from 2006. Why are you using such an old version of Zen Cart?

DrByte:

When you started this post here on the Zen Cart forum, you selected "Zen Cart v1.2.x" from the list of Zen Cart versions. Zen Cart v1.2.x is from 2006. Why are you using such an old version of Zen Cart?

Oh I see what you are referring to. That was an error, I am using v1.5.0 of zencart. Any solution for getting back the database setup page in Xampp? I tried uploading the the Xampp Congrol Panel again but it didn't help.

Setting up Xampp, or any webserver for that matter, is beyond the scope of Zen Cart. If you need help with Xampp (ie: windows/apache/php/phpmyadmin/mysql), contact the xampp support site.

Zen Cart expects you to have all your database setup completed yourself before you can do the Zen Cart installation. The installation process for Zen Cart is clearly outlined in the /docs/ImplementationGuide.php file included in your Zen Cart files.

Thanks Dr Byte

I read through that guide however it seemed more for setting up Zencart for a live site. I am not sure how to apply those instructions for the local site after I have already created a live site.

I have refound & accessed the page where I need to enter the info to set up the Zencart database (the instructions weremfurther down the page) but it is still not accepting the db username and password. Would these be the ones provided to me by my hosting company - would these apply to a local site? Or should I have set up a new mySQL database and phpmyadmin on my local pc first with a new username and password?

Running a copy of Zen Cart on your own PC is conceptually the same as running a Zen Cart store on a different server with a different hosting company. The files and database are specific to that server/pc.
Setting up Zen Cart to run on your own PC is the same as setting up a live site ... except that the "server" is your PC. Virtually all the steps are the same. And just like each hosting company is different in how you would set up databases and access FTP, so also is your PC. On your PC if you're using XAMPP then you need to use the tools provided by XAMPP in order to create your database and for where your files are stored.

So: If you're running Zen Cart on your own PC, then the database username and password you need are for the database and username you created in MySQL on your own PC. That would involve using XAMPP and phpMyAdmin on your own PC. Help with understanding XAMPP and finding the tools it offers, can be found on their website and in their documentation.

OK, figured out the problem. I had not created a new database in http://localhost/myphpadmin.

Found that missing step from reading this post.

http://www.zen-cart.com/showthread.php?136031-How-do-I-install-Zen-Cart-on-XAMPP

Thanks for confirming that your problem was that you had not yet created a database, as explained in the zc_install screens and the installation instructions and the /docs/ImplementationGuide.pdf

Zen Cart always requires that you supply a working database as part of your installation process.