Before installing the new release.
Warning: This is ONLY valid to switch from an old version of Wampserver 2.x to Wampserver 3.If you already have Wampserver 3 and you want to change version, there are Wampserver 3 updates.
If you want to add Apache, PHP, MySQL or MariaDB versions to your current version of Wampserver 3, there are addons.
All this is available on Sourceforge, but much better organized on
https://wampserver.aviatechno.net/If, from Wampserver 2.5, you want to switch to WampServer 3, read WAMPserver 3 - All you need to know where you will see that you can upgrade WampServer 2.5 to WampServer 3.0.3 directly in situ and then apply the WampServer 3.0.6 update over WampServer 3.0.3 without any problems and without changing your active versions of Apache, PHP and MySQL, nor changing your existing VirtualHost.
This is not a simple click and go process. There are many things that can trip you up. However it is quite achievable with a bit of common sense!Dont start this process if you only have 20 minutes to get it done, that should be all you need, but depending on your skill level and the number of releases of all 3 pieces of software you are skipping it may take longer.This whole process is based upon the fact that a WAMPServer install is basically just a copy of files onto your disk, with a little file tailoring so it knows what disk you installed on. The only things that are linked to the folder you install it into are the installation of the three windows services 'wampapache', 'wampmysql' and 'wampmariadb'. So if we remove those, and there is a menu option to do this on wampmanager, then your original install is basically removed.
First
Backup all your databases in Format=SQL, thats
your databases and not the ones that come with MySQL. Save the backups somewhere safe and readily available.
MySQL's databases are 'mysql', 'information_schema' and 'performance_schema' dont back these up, unless you know what you are doing and you know you need them.
Also you dont need the database called 'test' unless you used it for something you want to keep.
If your databases are small to medium sized you can use can use phpMyAdmin to do the backups.
If they are large and phpMyAdmin fails to back them up ( normally due to a PHP max_runtime limit ) you will have to backup using the mysqldump.exe. see [
dev.mysql.com] for help on that.
Now if all your sites connect to their databases using 'localhost','root' and '' ( a blank password) there is nothing else to do.
( NOT A GOOD IDEA BY THE WAY )If you set a root password and use ('localhost','root' and 'some_password_you_set' ) you just need to remember that password so you can recreate it on the new version of MySQL.
( ALSO NOT A GOOD IDEA )However if you have done things properly and created specific MySQL users and passwords for each of your site(s) databases you are going to have to go and find out what these userids and passwords are and make a note so you can recreate them after you have restored your databses on the new version of MySQL.
Alternatively you can use phpMyAdmin to export each of your Userids as SQL statements, save these and then re-apply them to the new version of MySQL.
So now before we install the new WAMP ServerThere are only 2 things that are actually installed by a WampServer installation and those are the Apache and MySQL Services.
So lets remove these 2 services.
Start WampServer
wampmanager -> Stop all Services
wampmanager -> MySQL -> Service -> Remove service
wampmanager -> Apache -> Service -> Remove service
Now stop wampmanager.
rightclick wampmanager -> Exit
Rename your wamp folder to something eg 'wamp_old'. This is your backup!
Now you can install the new version of WAMP Server, so lets do that.
Download and install the new WAMP, you can install onto any drive C;, D; E; etc, install it into the root of the drive i.e. C:\wamp, but
dont install into C:\Program Files\Check your new install works by:
Starting WAMP if you didnt start it automatically out of the install.
1. Check the wampmanager icon in the system tray goes GREEN.
2. Run : wampmanager -> localhost
3. Click on the phpMyAdmin link on this page, and check this works also.
WampServer initially load to a login page. Remember on a new install the username = root and the password is BLANK.
If you get problem with either, remember this new install does not have any of the config tailoring that you may have done to the previous release. So now would be the time to compare you old config's with the new ones and bring over anything from the old config that you need again on the new install.
Also remember you are upgrading Apache, MySQL and PHP. and parameters for all 3 of these may have changed / been added to/ or have been removed!!!!
So dont just copy them over from your old wamp to the new.
THERE BE DRAGONS !!!This is also why we dont delete the old wamp folder, until we are sure the new install is working properly.If you are using Apache 2.4.?Now it a good time to read through the STICKY post [
forum.wampserver.com]
Your
php.ini used by Apache(use wampmanager -> PHP -> php.ini to access this ) it actually lives in \wamp\bin\apache\apachex.y.z\bin\php.ini but dont edit it directly use the wampmanager menu link
Your
php.ini used by PHP CLIif you actually use the PHP CLI feature ( edit \wamp\bin\php\phpx.y.z\php.ini directly )
Compare your old and new versions, remember things may have changed, extentions added into the core of php and are therefore not required as extensions anymore etc.
Your
my.ini.Again things change, parameters get deprecate, new ones are created etc.
For example if you are using INNODB databases you will have to activate the innodb parameters which are by default commented out.
You may well have to check the mysql website for some information, they supply a How to upgrade page for all releases.
This is just an example [
dev.mysql.com]
Once this is all sorted out you can look at restoring your MySQL users and your databases to the new version of MySQL.
Also remember if you are coming from a VERY OLD version of MySQL, this restore process may not be totally straight forward, and you should expect to have to tweek a few things when you find that the new version of MySQL does not like your old data. This is fairly unusual, but may happen. Again dont try and do this 10 minutes before you have to give a presentation using the new WampServer.
Bringing your websites forward to the new releaseNow you can just copy
your \wamp_old\www\*
folders to the new \wamp\www\
Bringing your Virtual Hosts forward to the new releaseAt this point if you use
Virtual Hosts you can bring over your extras\https-vhost.conf from the folder containing the old version of Apache to the new folder containing your new version of Apache.
Remember the instructions in this file may need tailoring to the new release of Apache.
At a minimum, remember to check for the 'Allow from', 'Require' changes, mentioned earlier, and uncomment the 'Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf' line from your new httpd.conf file.
If it all goes horribly wrong and you need to go back to the previous version you had running.
We can go back to your original wamp version by doing:
Start the new WAMPServer, and remove the MySQL and Apache services.
wampmanager -> Stop all services
wampmanager -> MySQL -> Service -> Remove service
wampmanager -> Apache -> Service -> Remove service
wampmanager -> MariaDB -> Service -> Remove service
Now stop wampmanager.
rightclick wampmanager -> Exit
rename the current \wamp folder eg. \wamp_new ( or if you are totally giving up you can delete this one and start from scratch again another day. )
rename the \wamp_old folder back to '\wamp'
Start wampmanager, the existing icon on your desktop should still work, and Install the MySQL and Apache services.
wampmanager -> MySQL -> Service -> Install service
wampmanager -> Apache -> Service -> Install service
You should be back to where you were before starting this process.
Remember to clear you browser cache ( CTRL + F5 ) to ensure you dont get funnies happening once you switch installations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.1 32bit & 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.0
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>Read The Manuals Apache --
MySQL --
PHP --
phpMyAdminGet your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the
WAMPServer alternate Repo-X-X-X-
Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-
Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 06/08/2023 11:54AM by Otomatic.