Restoring Website Backup from cPanel to XAMPP on Windows with Database Connection
Description: This guide provides a comprehensive step-by-step process for creating a backup of a file on cPanel, downloading the backup file, restoring it in XAMPP on a Windows system, and connecting a database to the restored files. The backup file will be in .tar format. By following these instructions, you'll ensure the safe storage and retrieval of your website's data and settings.
1. Log in to cPanel: Access your cPanel account through your web browser.
2. Navigate to Backup: Find and click on the "Backup" or "Backup Wizard" icon within cPanel.
3. Backup Files: Choose the "Backup" option and select the file you want to back up. Specify the destination as a .tar archive.
4. Start Backup: Initiate the backup process. cPanel will create the backup file and store it in your account.
Step 2: Downloading the Backup File from cPanel
1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. Navigate to the "Backup" or "Files" section, depending on your cPanel version.
3. Find the backup you want to download and select the corresponding download option (usually labeled "Download" or "Generate Download").
4. Save the backup file to a convenient location on your Windows system.
Step 3: Extracting the Backup File
1. Right-click the downloaded .tar backup file and choose "Extract Here" using a file extraction tool like 7-Zip or WinRAR.
2. A new folder containing the extracted files will be created.
Step 4: Setting Up XAMPP
1. Download and install XAMPP for Windows from the official website.
2. Launch the XAMPP Control Panel after installation.
3. Start the Apache and MySQL services by clicking the "Start" button next to each.
4.Open your web browser and access "http://localhost/phpmyadmin/" to access phpMyAdmin.
Step 5:Moving Extracted Files to XAMPP's Web Root
1. Navigate to the XAMPP installation directory (usually `C:\xampp`).
2. Inside the `htdocs` folder, create a new folder for your project (e.g., `mywebsite`).
3. Copy all the extracted files from the backup and paste them into the newly created project folder.
Step 6: Importing the Database
1. Launch a web browser and visit `http://localhost/phpmyadmin`.
2. Log in to phpMyAdmin using the default credentials (username: `root`, password: leave empty).
3. Create a new database with the same name as the one used in your live website (if applicable).
4. Select the newly created database from the left-hand panel.
5. Click on the "Import" tab in the top menu.
6. Choose the database backup file (usually a .sql file) from the extracted backup folder.
7. Click "Go" to import the database structure and data.
Step 7: Configuring Database Connection
1. Locate your website's configuration files that contain database connection settings (usually in the extracted backup folder).
2. Open the configuration files using a text editor.
3. Update the database connection settings to match your local MySQL configuration:
Host: "localhost"
Database name: the name of the local database you created
Username: "root" (default)
Password: Leave empty or use "root" (default)
4. Save the configuration files.
Step 8:Testing the Website
1. Launch a web browser and visit `http://localhost/mywebsite` (replace "mywebsite" with the name of your project folder).
2. Verify that your restored website is now accessible locally.
Congratulations! You have successfully restored your website backup from cPanel to XAMPP on Windows 10 and established a database connection. This allows you to work on your website's development and testing in a local environment before making changes live.
