How To Us XAMPP For Windows

Start, stop, test the XAMPP servers

The universal control center is the "XAMPP Control Panel" (thanks www.nat32.com). It is started with:
\xampp\xampp-control.exe
As you know this from older XAMPP versions, you can also use some batchfiles to start/stop the servers:

Apache & MySQL start:

\xampp\xampp_start.exe

Apache & MySQL stop:

\xampp\xampp_stop.exe

Nur Apache start:

\xampp\apache_start.bat

Nur Apache stop:

\xampp\apache_stop.bat

Nur MySQL start:

\xampp\mysql_start.bat

Nur MySQL stop:

\xampp\mysql_stop.bat

Mercury Mailserver start:

\xampp\mercury_start.bat

Mercury Mailserver stop:

\xampp\mercury_stop.bat

FileZilla Server start:

\xampp\filezilla_start.bat

FileZilla Server stop:

\xampp\filezilla_stop.bat

Test

After starting of Apache (and MySQL), go to the address http://localhost/ or http://127.0.0.1/ in your browser and examine all of the XAMPP examples and tools.

Installing a particular server as as service

Each server in XAMPP you can install also as Wndows service:

Apache service install:

\xampp\apache\apache_installservice.bat

Apache service uninstall:

\xampp\apache\apache_uninstallservice.bat

MySQL service install:

\xampp\mysql\mysql_installservice.bat

MySQL service uninstall:

\xampp\mysql\mysql_uninstallservice.bat

FileZilla service (un)install:

\xampp\filezilla_setup.bat

Mercury:

No service installation available!

The XAMPP upgrades

With a new XAMPP version, there is normally a upgrade package too. Additionally, we have sometimes small patches between the releases.
An upgrade is always problematically and there can be errors in the upgrade process. Because of this, you should always make a backup from your XAMPP folder before you upgrade it. werden.
We are trying to adjust your configuration files during the upgrade progress, if necessary. Especially if a new XAMPP have a lot of changes compared to the old one, we are providing no upgrade package for security reasons. Sorry.
As with the add-ons, install the upgrade directly into the XAMPP directory (e.g. "C:\xampp"). And you must also start the setup script "setup_xampp.bat".


Source: http://www.apachefriends.org