Quick tips

• Use XAMPP 1.7.1 – the version is important! v1.6.8 may also work.
• Enable curl in php.ini
• Install from http://127.0.01 and NOT localhost

XAMPP

To run a PHP/MySQL site on a PC you need a Linux distro, giving you an Apache server on your PC. We use XAMPP – it’s reliable, well-supported and easy to install. When you install XAMPP, the version is VERY important:
XAMPP 1.7.2 uses PHP5.3 which the curent version of Magento can’t handle
XAMPP 1.7.1 is the version I’m using – recommended
XAMPP 1.7.0 does NOT work with Magento – Apache will crash during Magento install
XAMPP 1.6.8 has been reported to work with Magento but I can’t verify this

So if you’re starting from scratch, use v1.7.1. If you have an existing install, check your version and upgrade if necessary. XAMPP project: http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp-windows.html. Older versions can be downloaded from SourceForge: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xampp/files/. Choose the XAMPP Windows versions.

CURL

By default curl is disabled in XAMPP. Download /apachefriends/xampp/php/php.ini and find the curl extension. Uncomment it by removing the semi-colon in front of it:
extension=php_curl.dll

Installing Magento

Download the latest version of Magento: http://www.magentocommerce.com/product/community-edition
Unzip the folder into your /htdocs/ folder. By default this will unzip into a /magento/ folder.
Create a blank database via your PHPMyAdmin (http://localhost/phpmyadmin)
Go to: http://127.0.0.1/magento/index.php/install and follow the install procedure.

Note that I’m saying “127.0.0.1″. If you use “localhost” cookies won’t work (except in Opera), you won’t be able to log into admin and you will have URL warnings. Localhost isn’t recognised as valid domain name by Magento. Using “127.0.0.1″ gets round that problem as it contains dots.

You’re done & ready to develop your Magento shop offline!