Title: Installing: PHP Error: PHP installation appears to be missing MySQL
Last modified: August 18, 2016

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# Installing: PHP Error: PHP installation appears to be missing MySQL

 *  [joeblough](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joeblough/)
 * (@joeblough)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/)
 * I am walking through the installation procedure.
 * Environment:
    Win 2K IIS 5.0 MySQL: 4.0.20a-debug PHP: 5.0.4 (just installed 
   using windows installer, never used)
 * Created database and user for wordpress.
    I’ve just created the wp-config.php
   file. The database and user are entered: define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘wordpress’); define(‘
   DB_USER’, ‘wp_user’); define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘wp_pwd’); define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);
   All else is default.
 * I’ve started the MySQL process from the command line (it’s not installed as a
   service as such. I can connect to it just fine from PERL:DBI local programs).
 * When I run install.php I get a message that says:
    Your PHP installation appears
   to be missing the MySQL which is required for WordPress.
 * I’m completely baffled.
 * I’m convinced from what I’ve read and seen that WordPress is the right technology
   for several projects I have coming up. But I can’t get a good install to do a
   proof of concept demonstration.
 * Any clues? Tips? Hunches?
    Anybody ever see this before?
 * Please help.
    Joe

Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

 *  [stchatterbox](https://wordpress.org/support/users/stchatterbox/)
 * (@stchatterbox)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241104)
 * Joe, I met this situation once. And it’s the problem with this:
    ` define('DB_HOST','
   localhost');
 * Try to check if your DB_HOST is localhost or something else. My current host 
   is an IP like number..
 * Good luck!
 *  [pumpino](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pumpino/)
 * (@pumpino)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241136)
 * I’m having the same problem. I’ve got PHP4 and PHP4-mysql installed. Do I need
   to “start” MySQL or something? I’ve never used it before. Do I need the MySQL
   client and server installed? (they’re both installed). I’m running linux (Kubuntu).
   Any suggestions are welcomed. I would really like to get this working. Thanks.
 *  [pumpino](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pumpino/)
 * (@pumpino)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241141)
 * Opps. Mine was due to an error in the config file. *hides*
 *  Thread Starter [joeblough](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joeblough/)
 * (@joeblough)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241191)
 * Well folks, progress has been made but I’m not out of the woods yet.
 * Apparently the first error was due to **my assumptions**.
 * The PHP5 distribution does not have php-mysql built in, nor does the automatic
   installer (which I used) include the file nor install it.
 * So I’ve gone and gotten the manual distribution and edited the php.ini file to
   read:
 * extension_dir = c:/php/ext/
    extension=php_mysql.dlletc… and extension statements
   for all the other extensions, what the heck.
 * But now I am getting an error that says:
 * [Error establishing a database connection]
    and then goes on to say [PHP Warning:
   PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library ‘c:/php/ext/php_iisfunc.dll’ – The
   specified module could not be found. in Unknown on line 0] followed by several
   other similar “Unable to load” messages.
 * Once again, anybody gotta clue?
 * I can connect to mysql from PERL::DBI scripts, why can’t PHP connect?
 * Joe
 *  [Ming](https://wordpress.org/support/users/ming/)
 * (@ming)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241204)
 * This may not be what you’re looking for but an easy way to get WordPress running
   locally is by installing [XAMMP](http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html) .
   It installs PHP, MySQL and Apache (so no IIS). But it is dead easy to setup.
 * [PHPDev](http://www.firepages.com.au/) is another possibility.
 *  Thread Starter [joeblough](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joeblough/)
 * (@joeblough)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241232)
 * Ming,
    Thanks for the tip. I hesitate to go that route just yet, as I have most
   of the XAMMP components already installed, most particularly mysql, with a bunch
   of working databases in it.
 * I have Apache2 and just tried running install.php again and got an even more 
   bizarre response.
 * The browser simply showed the content of the php page. Apparently it didnt execute.
   Does Apache have to be specially configured to execute PHP under Windows??????
 * As I noted above I installed:
    PHP: 5.0.4
 * But I thought that was only necessary for IIS. Did I break Apache by doing that???
   Is that even possible???
 * Curiouser and curiouser.
 * Please advise.
 * Joe
 *  Thread Starter [joeblough](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joeblough/)
 * (@joeblough)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241351)
 * There seems to be an Apache2 configuration issue.
 * Somehow it’s not processing php quite right. Ive added
    ScriptAlias /php/ “C:/
   php/” AddType application/x-httpd-php .php Action application/x-httpd-php “/php/
   php.exe” to httpd.conf
 * The other errors have gone away but now I’m getting the dreaded
    [Premature end
   of script headers: php.exe] in the apache error.log
 *  [vkaryl](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vkaryl/)
 * (@vkaryl)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241352)
 * XAMPP installs and configures itself to manage apache, php, and mysql without
   heaps of glitches. I’m not positive but it seems to me that installing XAMPP 
   shouldn’t cause problems with your existing database – once XAMPP is installed
   and everything is running, you should be able to administer your existing databases
   through phpmyadmin.
 * Needless to say, I could be entirely wrong. Someone will be sure to say so if
   that’s the case!
 *  [Mark (podz)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/podz/)
 * (@podz)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241353)
 * Xampp:
    click 1 – download click 2 – install click 3 – setup_xampp.bat
 * That’s it.
 *  Thread Starter [joeblough](https://wordpress.org/support/users/joeblough/)
 * (@joeblough)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241418)
 * Found a fix.
 * It turned out to be a PHP configuration problem.
 * The answer is posted on another forum, phpbuilder,
 * [here](http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?p=10646542#post10646542)
 * that’s
    [http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?p=10646542#post10646542](http://www.phpbuilder.com/board/showthread.php?p=10646542#post10646542)
   in case the anchor tag doesn’t render.
 * Thanks for the tips and advice.
 *  [s1kevin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/s1kevin/)
 * (@s1kevin)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241470)
 * Folks, this hasn’t seemed to have resolved the issue on my side. I even went 
   to the trouble of creating this PHP script to make sure all was working properly
   in PHP…
 *  $dbh = mysql_connect($hostname, $username, $pass) or die (“message”);
    mysql_select_db(“
   wordpress”) or die(‘unable to select db’); $sth = mysql_query(“SELECT * FROM 
   nowhere”) or die(‘failed in query – ‘ . mysql_error());
 * The output from the above script is nothing. If I change the * in the select 
   to an invalid field, I get an error. That tells me the port back to MySQL is 
   working and it’s able to get data from the DB.
 * FYI – I just upgraded to PHP 5.0.4 and this failed with both MySQL 4.1.11 and
   4.1.13a. I’m running on WinXP. Any help is appreciated.
 *  [vkaryl](https://wordpress.org/support/users/vkaryl/)
 * (@vkaryl)
 * [20 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241471)
 * s1kevin, the absolute easiest way to make sure your pieces-parts are all working
   right together is to download and install XAMPP from apachefriends.org. I’m not
   joking when I say this is about as painless as it gets….
 * Here’s a great guide: [http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/xampp/](http://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/xampp/)
 *  [dwille](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dwille/)
 * (@dwille)
 * [19 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241617)
 * I found the following to be useful when configuring WordPress to work with Windows
   XP, IIS 5.0 and PHP 5.1.6. I assume that IIS already serves up PHP pages and 
   you’re getting the “Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL which
   is required for WordPress” error.
 * 1. Go to [http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/](http://dev.mysql.com/downloads/) and
   select “MySQL Connector/PHP”
 * 2. Download both the mysqli and mysql extensions.
 * 3. Move the files that begin with “php_” to your extensions directory (usually
   c:\php\ext). Overwrite the existing files since these are NEWER and the LATEST
   from MySQL.
 * 4. Move libmysql.dll to your PHP directory (C:\php). Overwrite the existing file(
   the one you’ve downloaded is NEWER). Both ZIP files will have the same libmysql.
   dll since after PHP 5.0.2 both the mysql and mysqli extensions use the same file.
 * 5. Edit your php.ini file (in C:\php). Ensure the following lines exist and are
   NOT commented out:
 * extension=php_mysql.dll
    extension=php_mysqli.dll
 * 6. Ensure your extensions directory is set as well in the php.ini file:
 * extension_dir = “C:\php\ext”
 * 7. Configure Windows so it can find PHP, its DLLS, and the php.ini file (this
   was the CRITICAL step for me, especially the PHPRC variable I describe):
 * Click Start -> Control Panel
    Double-click System Select the “Advanced” tab Click
   the “Environment Variables” button Under the “System variables” section, click
   the “Path” variable Click the “Edit” button Add “C:\php” to the path (no quotes).
   Note that each path is separated by a semicolon. Also, you should preferably 
   add this EARLY in the path, since some of the MySQL DLLs may be included in other
   locations on your computer, and you’d like PHP to find the one installed in C:\
   php before it finds any other. Click “OK” Now, click the “New” button (again,
   in the “System variables” section) For variable name, supply “PHPRC” For variable
   value, supply “C:\php” Click “OK” repeatedly until you’ve got all the windows
   closed.
 * 8. Restart the computer so that these settings will be loaded and recognized 
   by PHP. You can verify that your correct php.ini file is being loaded by testing
   a simple PHP page with the following:
 * <?php
 * phpinfo();
 * ?>
 * If your settings are correct, you should see that “Configuration File (php.ini)
   Path” is “C:\php\php.ini” on the resulting page.

Viewing 13 replies - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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## Tags

 * [installation](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/installation/)
 * [MySQL](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/mysql/)
 * [php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/php/)
 * [wp-config.php](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/wp-config-php/)

 * In: [Installing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/installation/)
 * 13 replies
 * 8 participants
 * Last reply from: [dwille](https://wordpress.org/support/users/dwille/)
 * Last activity: [19 years, 8 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/installing-php-error-php-installation-appears-to-be-missing-mysql/#post-241617)
 * Status: not resolved

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