As a web developer, you should be on the SharePoint band wagon; if not do it now!!!  This install in this article is the simplest, quickest way to get up and running; however, it is not a full farm install.  It is enough for you to get up and running to start developing against WSS.

Step 1: Review System Requirements

This may hurt many of you

• Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1
• Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0
• SQL Server 2005 or SQL Server Express 2005, If you choose a basic install SQL 2005 Embedded Edition will be installed

Not running Server 2003?  Create a Virtual PC for yourself an get playing!!

Step 2: Downloading Requirements

1. Download WSS 3.0 from here (78Mb).
2. Download .NET Framework 3.0 from here (51Mb).
3. Download SQL Express 2005 from

Step 3: Create some service accounts

1. Select Start, then choose the Administrative Tools menu, then choose Computer Management control panel applet.
   
2. Expand Local users and Groups.
3. Click Users.
4. Right-Click users, and then choose new User.
   
5. Complete the dialgog
   
6. Click Create.

Step 4: Install the prerequisites

The sharepoint.exe installer is a bit of a pain if you do not have the right prerequisites, so install them

• Install SQL Express 2005
• Install .NET Framework 3.0

Step 3: Install WSS 3.0

1. Double-click the SharePoint.exe program file on your hard disk to start the Setup program.
   
2. Click Run if you trust Microsoft's download :P
   
3. Read and accept the terms of the agreement.  Click Continue.
    
4.  Click Advanced as this is the will allow you to configure you site to a local instance of SQL and set up accounts correctly. 
   
   Note: If you choose the basic option, a stock standard next, next install will occur. However this is limiting as it will install SQL SSEE in another instance and create a site for you. As a developer, I am sure you would like to get to know the product a bit better.
   
    
5. Click the Server Type tab, choose Web Font End.
   
6. Choose the Feedback tab, make your choice.
   
7. Click Install Now and take a few minutes break while this installs minutes.
8. When done I suggest you check the Run Configuration Wizard. and click Close.
   

Well done, you have managed to copy the WSS software onto your Server, sadly no portal yet! All the setup has done is copy all the SharePoint files into the C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12 folder, aka The 12 hive.

Step 4 - Run the Configuration windows

1. Start the configuration wizard if not already started.
    
2. The Install Process will stop and restart several services, click Yes.
    
3. Choose No, I want to create a new server farm and then click Next.
   
4. Type the details where the configuration database should be created on SQL and what account SharePoint should use to access it.
   e.g.
         Database server: Miami
         Database name: SharePoint_Config
         Username: .\SharePointService
         Password: Pa$$w0rd
    
5. Click Next.
6. You may wish to change the Administration site Portal and authentication provider, click Next.
   
7. In the Completing the SharePoint Product and Technologies Configuration Wizard, click Next.
   
   Note: Make a note somewhere of the Central Administration URL.
8. 
9. Go have another cup of coffee while the server is created, this takes some time.
   
10. Your browser should pop up with the Central Administration Site.

We are not done yet, we have a server up and running but no site.

Step 5: Create a site collection and a SharePoint site

Create a new web application

1. In the SharePoint Central Administration Web site, on the Application Management page
   
2. I the SharePoint Web Application Management section, click Create or extend Web application.
   
3. On the Create or Extend Web Application page, in the Adding a SharePoint Web Application section, click Create a new Web application.
   
4. On the Create New Web Application page, in the IIS Web Site section, you can configure the settings for your new Web application.
   1. To choose to use an existing Web site, select Use an existing Web site, and specify the Web site on which to install your new Web application by selecting it from the drop-down menu.
   2. To choose to create a new Web site, select Create a new IIS Web site, and type the name of the Web site in the Description box.
   3. In the Port box, type the port number you want to use to access the Web application. If you are creating a new Web site, this field is populated with a suggested port number. If you are using an existing Web site, this field is populated with the current port number.
   4. In the Host Header box, type the URL you want to use to access the Web application. This is an optional field.
   5. In the Path box, type the path to the site directory on the server. If you are creating a new Web site, this field is populated with a suggested path. If you are using an existing Web site, this field is populated with the current path.
5. In the Security Configuration section, configure authentication and encryption for your Web application.
   1. In the Authentication Provider section, choose either Negotiate (Kerberos) or NTLM
   2. In the Allow Anonymous section, choose Yes or No. If you choose to allow anonymous access, this enables anonymous access to the Web site by using the computer-specific anonymous access account (that is, IUSR_<computername>).
   3. In the Use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) section, select Yes or No. If you choose to enable SSL for the Web site, you must configure SSL by requesting and installing an SSL certificate.
6. In the Load Balanced URL section, type the URL for the domain name for all sites that users will access in this Web application. This URL domain will be used in all links shown on pages within the Web application. By default, the box is populated with the current server name and port.
7. In the Application Pool section, choose whether to use an existing application pool or create a new application pool for this Web application. To use an existing application pool, select Use existing application pool. Then select the application pool you want to use from the drop-down menu.
   1. To create a new application pool, select Create a new application pool.
   2. In the Application pool name box, type the name of the new application pool, or keep the default name.
   3. In the Select a security account for this application pool section, select Predefined to use an existing application pool security account, and then select the security account from the drop-down menu.
   4. Select Configurable to use an account that is not currently being used as a security account for an existing application pool. In the User name box, type the user name of the account you want to use, and type the password for the account in the Password box.
8. In the Reset Internet Information Services section, choose whether to allow Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services to restart IIS on other farm servers. The local server must be restarted manually for the process to finish. If this option is not selected and you have more than one server in the farm, you must wait until the IIS Web site is created on all servers and then run iisreset/noforce on each Web server. The new IIS site is not usable until that action is completed. The choices are unavailable if your farm only contains a single server.
9. In the Database Name and Authentication section, choose the database server, database name, and authentication method for your new Web application.
   Database Server
   Type the name of the database server and Microsoft SQL Server instance you want to use in the format <SERVERNAME\instance>. You can also use the default entry.
   Database Name
   Type the name of the database, or use the default entry.
   Database Authentication
   Choose whether to use Windows authentication (recommended) or SQL authentication.
10. Click OK to create the new Web application, or click Cancel to cancel the process and return to the Application Management page.
11. Open up the command prompt, and type iisreset /noforce
    

Well done, you have set up IIS and SharePoint! However you still do not have a web site.

Step 6: Create a Site collection and top level site

Create a site collection

1. On the SharePoint Central Administration home page, click the Application Management tab on the top link bar.
   
2. On the Application Management page, in the SharePoint Site Management section, click Create site collection.
    
3. On the Create Site Collection page, in the Web Application section, select a Web application to host the site collection from the Web Application drop-down list.
4. In the Title and Description section, type a title and description for the site collection.
5. In the Web Site Address section, select a URL type (personal or sites), and then type a URL for the site collection.
6. In the Template Selection section, select a template from the tabbed template control.
7. In the Primary Site Collection Administrator section, specify the user account for the user you want to be the primary administrator for the site collection. You can also browse for the user account by clicking the Book icon to the right of the text box. You can check the user account by clicking the Check Names icon to the right of the text box.
8. Optionally, in the Secondary Site Collection Administrator section, specify the user account for the user you want to be the secondary administrator for the site collection. You can also browse for the user account by clicking the Book icon to the right of the text box. You can check the user account by clicking the Check Names icon to the right of the text box.
9. Click Create to create the site collection.
    

Step 7: View your site

1. Navigate to your site URL, http://localhost.