WAMP bundles - opinions wanted!

Many years ago, I did some web databases for a site. At that time, I set up a test "sandbox" set up on my computer using an Apache-MySQL-PHP bundle. Devshed was enormously helpful in my efforts! But I haven't done much on databases since then.

Two computers and many years later, I'm back to database development, this time for a rescue group I volunteer for, and I'm in need of a new WAMP for this computer. The one I used before seems to have gone kaput in the intervening years. I've seen one that will install and work on removable media, which sounds great, but I can't find any reviews of it (It's called "TWAMP") I've read about WAMP5, WAMPserver, easyPHP, and a number of others, but actual reviews and opinions seem to be beyond the reach of my google-fu. So, I'm asking you. Which bundle do you use/recommend, and why?

I'm on Windows XP Pro, SP3. My host has recently upgraded to FreeBSD 7.2-STABLE, and is running Apache 2.2.13 MySQL 5.0.67, and PHP 5.2.11

Any opinions/advice would be much appreciated! (Except for advice to compile my own bundle. Installing the sandbox is a means to an end, and I don't want to spend that much time and effort on it, because I need to get on with developing the database! )

XAMPP: I was up and running in 10 minutes, writing code, after downloading & installing XAMPP.

I wouldn't use it for anything but local development, though; it has some security issues that make it inappropriate for Production use. But, if all you want to do is start coding, it's perfect.

Thank you! I'd seen that a lot in my netwandering - it was one of those that sounded good, but I had no way of evaluating the expertise of the people talking about it. I mean "great program" and "awesome!" isn't really helpful unless you can tell whether the person saying it knows what they're talking about.

You, on the other hand, clearly know what you're talking about! Thank you again for the reply.

NP. For the record, I spent days trying to get apache2 and php5 installed and happy together. No dice; still note sure why. XAMPP was like a godsend. I'll hafta send those peeps some papers in gratitude.

Just read through the other thread. I can still taste the anguish flowing from it! This is why I wanted to go with a bundle. Coding php/mysql is pretty much the leading edge of my competencies. Configuring the three programs to work together is well beyond that edge!

I've downloaded XAMPP, and I'm off to install... wish me luck!

Go forth and code-conquer, my young apprentice.

I had been using XAMPP, but was frustrated by the debugging issues with the way PHP was configured/installed. I switched over to WampServer and haven't looked back.

Note to self: get off "workstation Windows" (e.g., XP) if you are dealing with a lot of data or complex queries in the MySQL database (I have a customer with a 2+ GB MySQL Database and random complex queries that can't be well-optimized). The performance is awful compared to "server Windows".