Prerequisites

• Windows 7 (32-bit or 64-bit)
• Administrative privileges on your computer
• Internet connection for downloading PHP
• Web server software (e.g., Apache or IIS) installed (optional)

Installation

1. Visit the official PHP downloads page: https://windows.php.net/download#php-7.4
2. Download the appropriate version (Thread Safe or Non-Thread Safe) for your system architecture (x86 for 32-bit, x64 for 64-bit)
3. Extract the downloaded ZIP file to a folder of your choice (e.g., C:\php7.4)
4. Rename the extracted folder to 'php'
5. Add the PHP folder path to your system's PATH environment variable:
   1. Right-click on 'Computer' and select 'Properties'
   2. Click on 'Advanced system settings'
   3. Click on 'Environment Variables'
   4. Under 'System variables', find and select 'Path', then click 'Edit'
   5. Add ';C:\php' to the end of the 'Variable value' field
   6. Click 'OK' to close all dialogs
6. Copy php.ini-development to php.ini in the PHP folder
7. Open php.ini and uncomment necessary extensions by removing the semicolon (;) at the beginning of the line

Verification

1. Open Command Prompt
2. Type 'php -v' and press Enter
3. You should see output similar to:

   PHP 7.4.x (cli) (built: Month Day Year) ( NTS )
   Copyright (c) The PHP Group
   Zend Engine v3.4.0, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
           

4. To verify PHP is working with your web server, create a file named 'info.php' in your web root with the following content:

   <?php phpinfo(); ?>
           

5. Access the file through your web browser (e.g., http://localhost/info.php)
6. You should see the PHP information page displaying details about your PHP installation