Below are the most commonly used php directives. You have to change php.ini file in order to configure php settings. This just means changing these directive’s option and value.
1) short_open_tag = Off

We can view the php settings by creating a php file in our web root with the following code:
Let the name of the file be phpinfo.php
Open http://localhost/phpinfo.php in your browser in your local computer. If you are working online then open http://yoursite/phpinfo.php

Scenario:
I am installing a fresh magento 1.3.2.1 in my Windows XP computer. I have Xampp installed. While installing magento, I had a problem at the configuration step where I had to fill database host, username, password etc. When I click continue after filling the required fields, the installation process doesn’t move forward. I am redirected to the same page.
Solution: