How to Install Mahara on Windows 11

Mahara is a free, web-based e-portfolio and social networking software. It allows you to create your own digital portfolio, share your work with others, and collaborate with other users. In this tutorial, we will go through the steps of installing Mahara on Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you will need the following:

• A computer running Windows 11
• A web server software, such as XAMPP or WampServer
• A web browser, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
• The latest version of Mahara

Step 1: Install a Web Server Software

Mahara requires a web server software to run on. XAMPP and WampServer are both free and easy to install web server software options. To install XAMPP:

1. Go to the XAMPP website and download the latest version of XAMPP for Windows.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts to install XAMPP on your computer.
3. Start the Apache and MySQL services from the XAMPP control panel.

Note: If you prefer to use WampServer, follow the instructions to install it on your machine.

Step 2: Download Mahara

Navigate to the Mahara download page and download the latest stable version of Mahara as a .zip file.

Step 3: Extract Mahara Files

1. Once the .zip file is downloaded, extract the contents to a folder in your computer's root directory (C:\mahara, for example).
2. Rename the extracted folder to mahara.

Step 4: Configure the Web Server

1. Open the XAMPP Control Panel and click the Config button for the Apache web server.
2. Select Apache (httpd.conf).
3. In the configuration file, find the line that contains DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs" and change it to DocumentRoot "C:/mahara" (or whatever directory you installed Mahara to).
4. Find the line that contains <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs"> and change it to <Directory "C:/mahara">.
5. Save and close the configuration file.

Step 5: Set Up the Mahara Database

1. Open your web browser and go to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/.
2. Click on New to create a new database.
3. Name the database mahara and choose utf8_general_ci (or leave the default settings).
4. Click Create.

Step 6: Install Mahara

1. Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost/mahara/.
2. Click on the Install Mahara button to start the installation wizard.
3. Follow the prompts to configure Mahara. You will need to enter the database name, username, and password that you created in Step 5.
4. When the installation is complete, you will be redirected to the Mahara login page.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Mahara on your Windows 11 computer. You can now start using Mahara to create your e-portfolio and collaborate with others.

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