How to Install Mahara on Windows 10

Mahara is a popular open-source ePortfolio and social networking platform that allows users to create, share, and manage digital portfolios. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to install Mahara on your Windows 10 computer.

1. Install Web Development Software

Before you can install Mahara, you need to have a web development environment set up on your computer. Here's how you can do that:

1. Install XAMPP from https://www.apachefriends.org/.
2. Run the XAMPP installer and follow the prompts to install it.
3. Launch the XAMPP Control Panel.
4. Start the Apache and MySQL services by clicking on the Start buttons next to them.

2. Download Mahara

To download Mahara, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Mahara website at https://mahara.org/.
2. Click on the Download button on the homepage.
3. Click on the Windows option.
4. Click on the Download button to start the download.

3. Install Mahara

Now that you have downloaded Mahara, follow these steps to install it:

1. Extract the contents of the downloaded zip file to the 'htdocs' folder (usually located in C:\xampp\htdocs).
2. Rename the extracted folder to 'mahara'.
3. Launch your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/.
4. Click on the Databases tab.
5. Create a new database by entering a name in the Create Database field and clicking the Create button.
6. In your web browser, navigate to http://localhost/mahara/.
7. Follow the prompts to install Mahara, entering your database name, username, and password when prompted.

4. Configure Mahara

After installing Mahara, you need to configure it. Here's how:

1. In your web browser, navigate to the Mahara login page at http://localhost/mahara/login/.
2. Log in using the default administrator username 'admin' and password 'testing'.
3. Click on the 'Site administration' link in the top right-hand corner of the page.
4. Follow the prompts to configure Mahara, setting preferences such as site name, language, and email settings.

Congratulations! You have now installed and configured Mahara on your Windows 10 computer. You can now start creating and managing your digital portfolios.

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