How to Run the WordPress Install Script

By Lisa Sabin-Wilson from WordPress Web Design For Dummies

The final step in the WordPress installation procedure is to run its install script, install.php. Doing so connects the WordPress software you uploaded to the MySQL database.

To install WordPress, you first download the WordPress software to your computer and decompress (unpack or unzip) to a folder on your computer's hard drive. Next, you set up a MySQL database so that it's ready to accept the installation. After that, you transfer the WordPress files from your hard disk to your host web server account.

It's at this point that you must run the install script to connect the WordPress software to the MySQL database.

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Type http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/install.php in the address box of your browser, replacing yourdomain.com with your own domain name.

If you installed WordPress in a different folder from the root directory of your account, make sure you indicate this in the URL for the install script, such as http://yourdomain.com/blog/wp-admin/install.php.

Assuming that you did everything correctly, WordPress prompts you to create a configuration file.

Click the Create a Configuration File button.

The Welcome to WordPress page, which gives you the information you need to proceed with the installation, opens.

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Click the Let’s Go button at the bottom of the page and fill in the Database Name.

Type the database name you used when you created the MySQL database. Because hosts differ in configurations, you need to enter either the database name or the database name with your hosting account username appended — for example, you might need to enter lisasabin_wordpress.

Fill in the User Name and Password.

Type the username you used when you created the MySQL database. Depending on what your host requires, you may need to append this username to your hosting account username.

Type the password you used when you set up the MySQL database. You don't need to append the password to your hosting account username here.

Fill in the Database Host and Table Prefix.

Ninety-nine percent of the time, leave this field set to localhost. Some hosts, depending on their configurations, have different hosts set for the MySQL database server. If localhost doesn't work, you need to contact your hosting provider to locate the MySQL database host.

However, if you want a bit more security on your WordPress install, set the database table prefix to something unique.

Click the Submit button.

You see a message that says, “All right, sparky! You've made it through this part of the installation. WordPress can now communicate with your database. If you're ready, time now to run the install!”

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Click the Run the Install button.

Another welcome page appears with a message welcoming you to the famous five-minute WordPress installation process.

Enter the Site Title, Username, and Password.

Enter the title you want to give your site. The title you enter isn't written in stone; you can change it at a later date, if you like.

Type the username you use to log in to WordPress. By default, the username is admin, and you can leave it that way. However, for security reasons, it's best that you change your username to something unique to you. Type a password in the first text box and then type it again in the second text box to confirm that you’ve typed it correctly.

Enter an email address and indicate search engine indexing.

In the Your E-Mail box, enter the e-mail address you want to use to be notified of administrative information about your website. You can change this address at a later date, too.

To let the search engines index the content of your website and include your website in search results, select the Allow My Site to Appear in Search Engines Like Google and Technorati check box. To keep your website out of the search engines, deselect this check box.

Click the Install WordPress button.

The WordPress installation machine works its magic and creates all the tables within the database that contain the default data for your website. WordPress displays the login information you need to access the WordPress Dashboard. Make note of this username and password before you leave this page.