Windows Server 2003 Installation

Im not sure if this is experimental still or not, but I am hereby making an effort using all my knowledge and skills, to help those attempting this. Please do not hesitate to seek help from me or let me know anything I may have missed.

First off, here is what you need:

1)Windows server 2003 or Windows XP Professional
2)XAMPP version 1.4.16 (This includes Mysql4 and php4)
3)MySQL Conector Driver (mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12-win32)
4)OpenEMR version 2.8.1
5)A browser. (Such as Internet Explorer 6, I prefer Firefox SB)

This XAMPP version is not the latest but I beleive is the most stable
-install it on the server as an Administrator:

Make sure you say yes to installing Apache and MySQL as services

If you get an error on Server 2003 with ports, it is probroly because IIS- The built in Microsoft Web Server, is using port 80 for wither 'companyweb' or Exchange. These ports will have to be changed in the IIS management

Once XAMPP is up and running, open the XAMPP control panel and stop the Apache server.

It is no longer necessary to switch to PHP 4. PHP 5 is the current preffered package. SB (Go to the start menu under Apachefriends Xampp and run the php-switch. Follow the directions and enter 4 to force Apache to use the php4.ini configuration. Restart Apache.)

In your favorite browser (such as IE 6 or Firefox) go to localhost. Open the phpmyadmin page and go to privileges. Set a password for the root user.

On the XAMPP control panel, open MySQL admin. If it asks you for a password enter the same as you did in phpmyadmin. Check the .ini tab to make sure that the bind address is the local address of your server.

Shut down Mysql window and stop Mysql in the Xampp Control Panel

Download mysql-connector-odbc-3.51.12 for win32 and install. Start Mysql again. This should get rid of errors and show the appropraite info in the MySQL manager.

Download OpenEMR 2.8.1.

Rename the extracted folder to 'openemr'. Put this in the htdocs folder in your xampp directory.

Run localhost/openemr in your favorite browser (Such as IE6, my favorite browser is Firefox, SB).

On the page where passwords are asked for, choose openemr and make up a password for the part where it explains that this password is used when openemer uses php to acccess Mysql. (Use a good long password, random letters capitols, small case, numbers and special symbols, SB).

For the database password, type the same password you used for the root user.

On the last page it asks you to change the path in openemr/interface/globals.php. this refers to the line
$webserver_root = "C:/Program Files/xampp/htdocs/openemr";

The path here HAS to be EXACT, even capitalizations or it will not work properly. The forward slashes / work better then back slashes \. Change this to your install path and save.

Back in phpmyadmin, go to privileges, you will see an openemr user. Change the password on this to the password you chose above for openemr to access mysql using php.

This works perfectly.

Author:
Joe Hayes
PHP Developer
jmayes@misfl.com

Thanks Joe for the updated MS Windows installation guide. I made a few modifications. I find OpenEMR to be very stable on Windows platforms.

Things to avoid are any version of Windows tha has "home" in its name. You will need onne of the full "professional" versions. "Vista" has not been tested to date.

All the web browsers that I have tested that support frames seem to work fine. While most Windows users use IE 6 and 7. If the project has a "Standard" browser it would be Mozilla Firefox.

Sam Bowen, MD
06-01-2007