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Restoring a XAMPP Project from BackupNew Page

If a project is accidentally deleted, corrupted, moved to another computer, or you need to continue working from a backup, both the website files and database must be restored.

This tutorial demonstrates how to restore a complete XAMPP project from a backup.

Backup Requirements

Before restoring, you should have:

XAMPP Backups
├── Website Files
│   └── security_dashboard
│
└── Databases
    └── project_db.sql

The project folder contains your website files and the SQL file contains your database backup.

Restore the Website Files

Open your backup folder.

Example:

XAMPP Backups
└── Website Files
    └── security_dashboard

Copy the entire project folder.

Copy the Files into htdocs

Open:

C:\xampp\htdocs\

Paste the project folder into the htdocs directory.

Example:

C:\xampp\htdocs\security_dashboard

Your project should now appear inside the XAMPP web server folder.

Start XAMPP

Open the XAMPP Control Panel.

Start:

Apache
MySQL

Open phpMyAdmin

Open:

http://localhost/phpmyadmin/

You should now see the phpMyAdmin home page.

Create the Database

Click:

New

Create a database using the original database name.

Example:

project_db

Click:

Create

Import the Database Backup

Select the newly created database.

Click:

Import

Choose:

project_db.sql

Click:

Import

phpMyAdmin will restore all tables and records from the backup file.

Verify the Database

Select the restored database.

You should see the original tables.

Example:

project_db
├── users
└── security_events

Click on a table and verify that records are present.

Test the Website

Open your project in a browser.

Example:

http://localhost/security_dashboard/

Check that:

  • Pages load correctly.
  • Images display correctly.
  • Login systems work.
  • Database data appears correctly.

Common Problems

Database Connection Error

Check:

Database name
Username
Password

inside your PHP connection file.

Example:

$conn = new mysqli(
    "localhost",
    "root",
    "",
    "project_db"
);

The database name must match the restored database.

Table Not Found

Example error:

Table 'project_db.users' doesn't exist

Solution:

  • Confirm the SQL file imported successfully.
  • Verify the table exists in phpMyAdmin.
  • Re-import the database if required.

Page Not Found

Example:

404 Not Found

Solution:

  • Verify the project folder is inside:
C:\xampp\htdocs\
  • Check the URL is correct.

Restoration Checklist

Website Files

✔ Project folder copied to htdocs
✔ Images restored
✔ CSS restored
✔ JavaScript restored
✔ PHP files restored

Database

✔ Database created
✔ SQL file imported
✔ Tables restored
✔ Records restored

Testing

✔ Website loads
✔ Database connection works
✔ Login system works
✔ Data displays correctly

Complete Restoration Process

Backup Folder
        ↓
Copy Project Files
        ↓
Paste into htdocs
        ↓
Create Database
        ↓
Import SQL File
        ↓
Test Website

You have successfully restored a XAMPP project from a backup.

Next tutorial: Moving a XAMPP Project to Another Computer.

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