How to install on localhost running XAMPP?

Running Windows 11
Downloaded Zen Cart v 2.0.1 patched
Downloaded and installed xampp-windows-x64-8.2.12-0-VS16-installer (PHP v 8.2.12)
Created - C:\xampp\htdocs*zencart*
Unzipped the Zen Cart files to the above path.
Started XAMPP, turned on Apache and MySQL.
Opened my browser (up to date Firefox), in the url I typed localhost/zencart
Nothing, plain white screen.

That's how I used to be able to do it back in the day of oscommerce 2.2.

What am I missing or doing wrong?

A whitescreen, anymore, when a Zen Cart page loads usually implies that there was a PHP error during the page's load. The PHP issue is logged in a myDEBUG*.log file in the site's /logs directory.

Thank you for the reply.

Please forgive my ignorance.
I can not find the site's logs directory nor the myDEBUG*.log file.
I checked in the C:\XAMPP\htdocs\ZenCart all folders and files.
I even checked in all of XAMPP structure folders and files.

The logs folder should be at the top level, at the same level as "images" and "includes."

Not there, only "demo_images", "includes", "sql".

Jim Hande:

Not there, only "demo_images", "includes", "sql".
Those subdirectories are in the zc_install directory: C:\XAMPP\htdocs\ZenCart\zc_install

Maybe something went wrong when I unzipped the files?
This is where they went = "C:\xampp\htdocs\ZenCart" and there is no install folder??
I'll try starting over.

Step 1. Install XAMP
Step 2. put files in the folder Htdocs/your site.com
Step3. Import database

Don't forget to edit the to the correct localhost settings

includes/configure.php
admin/includes/configure.php

Is this the correct full version?

Zen Cart v 2.0.1 patched

Jim Hande:

Is this the correct full version?

Zen Cart v 2.0.1 patched
Maybe, where did you get that from?

https://github.com/zencart/zencart/releases/tag/v2.0.1

It was the only one in the list that said "Latest" while the others said "Pre-release".
https://github.com/zencart/zencart/releases

Why I'm now questioning it is because the files everyone points me to does not exist.

Pull Source code (.zip).
Unzip it.
delete the zc_install folder in the unzipped files
Then pull zc_install-v201-patched.zip.
unzip it. This will replace the zc_install folder you just removed.

Thank you so much for the help!

I even read the included document and renamed the config files.

Still just a blank white page in my browser.

I'm giving up, not worth the hassle and wasting everyone who helps time.

Again thank you to all that helped!

Okay, I lost my 65 year old mind and tried something again. :shocking:

I started fresh with = "zen-cart-v1.5.7c-03052021"
In XAMPP I created a database and called it zencart.
Read the = "Install" text document.
In my browser I entered = "http://localhost/zencart/zc_install/index.php"
Again a blank white page.
I checked in XAMPP - Apache - Logs - Apache(error.log)

[Sat Nov 23 09:55:50.168556 2024] [ssl:warn] [pid 8616:tid 392] AH01909: www.example.com:443:0 server certificate does NOT include an ID which matches the server name
[Sat Nov 23 09:55:50.215422 2024] [mpm_winnt:notice] [pid 8616:tid 392] AH00354: Child: Starting 150 worker threads.
[Sat Nov 23 10:07:02.446255 2024] [authz_core:error] [pid 8616:tid 1904] [client ::1:54758] AH01630: client denied by server configuration: C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php
[Sat Nov 23 10:22:10.214788 2024] [authz_core:error] [pid 8616:tid 1860] [client ::1:54895] AH01630: client denied by server configuration: C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php
[Sat Nov 23 10:54:40.994673 2024] [authz_core:error] [pid 8616:tid 1896] [client ::1:55040] AH01630: client denied by server configuration: C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php

Any ideas? :blink:

client denied by server configuration
Probably means the file being requested,
> C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php
is not in that location/does not exist.

torvista:

Probably means the file being requested,

is not in that location/does not exist.

it could also be a permissions problem.

"C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php"

Does exist and has all permissions set to allowed. :blush:

Any thoughts on
"server certificate does NOT include an ID which matches the server name"
Could this be part of the problem?

EDIT:
"includes/configure.php" = empty, no coding
"admin/includes/configure.php" = empty, no coding
:shocking:

There are multiple solutions to setting up a local dev environment on a Windows pc.
All have their own gotchas that will stop you in your tracks at some point...and you'll have to get it on with Google and the learning curve with each error you encounter: you are never the first one to have that error.

You need to get Xampp to display a simple html file first, so you know that is nothing to do with Zen Cart (as in this case probably) and then search for and resolve the errors until your file is displayed with no error logs.

Then install Zen Cart from that location.

Things you will have to deal with sooner or later...

Access the same file using SSL/https: you'll get to learn about certificates. Check with different browsers, some complain differently.

Move that file to a convenient place in your documents where it will be backed up (I've always had all my docs in a Onedrive/Dropbox folder but NOT C:\XAMPP\htdocs) and so then you get to learn about virtual hosts.

Jim Hande:

"C:/xampp/htdocs/zencart/includes/filenames.php"

Does exist and has all permissions set to allowed. :blush:

Any thoughts on
"server certificate does NOT include an ID which matches the server name"
Could this be part of the problem?

EDIT:
"includes/configure.php" = empty, no coding
"admin/includes/configure.php" = empty, no coding
:shocking:

with regards to your second question, the server certificate is a warning. look where it says ssl:warn. that is NOT part of your problem.

with regards to your statement that the file does exist and has all permissions to allowed; that is obviously not the case as the server is complaining specifically about that.

i will accept your statement that the file does exist; so now we are talking about a permissions issue.

i would suggest a google search on the issue.

i am not a xampp guy; i use vagrant to execute virtualBox; but the ideas are the same.

wirth regards to your last statement, at some point you will need to have things in your configure files, especially if you want to run ZC in your xampp environment.

but the problem you are having now is specifically related to your xampp configuration.

best.

Jim if you need help with setting up zencart on xamp i can help. Just pm and ill walk you through it.