Truth is, if you are still learning, it might be very difficult to set up your own server. I suggest you buy a domain and hosting. It is really cheap.

Justhost.com go to the bottom press on the secret link.

If you want to host on your own computer, it’d be very difficult, you’d have to read up a lot on Apache.. Your computer would have to be on 24/7. If your IP address changes, which happens often, your server would get messed up.

and to answear your question yes you could host it on your computer but It would be way more complicated than just opening free hosting account. In order to host in on your computer you would eather need one of the server operating system 2003/2008 or apache

I have atached a list of free hosting for you
http://www.free-webhosts.com/no-forced-ads.php

If you just want to run PHP on your computer -

Run PHP on your own computer: The easiest way to do this is to install a complete package like XAMPP. This contains the Apache Web server, along with PHP and the MySQL database engine, in one easy-to-install package. XAMPP is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. (A popular alternative on Windows is WampServer.)
Run your PHP scripts on your Web host: If you already have a Web hosting account that supports PHP then you can upload your PHP scripts via FTP and run them on the Web server. The advantage of this approach is that you don’t have to install anything; the disadvantage is that it’s slower to write and test your scripts.

Copy and paste the script code listed above into a new document in your text editor, then save the file as hello.php in the document root folder — that is, the top level of your website — on your hard drive. If you’re not sure where your document root folder is then consult your Web server manual. Common locations include:

XAMPP on Windows: C:/Program Files/xampp/htdocs/
XAMPP on Linux: /opt/lampp/htdocs/
XAMPP on Mac OS X: /Applications/XAMPP/htdocs/

If you want to run the script on your Web hosting account rather than your own computer then you’ll need to upload the script using FTP instead.

Free online PHP tester: http://forumferney.free.fr/stester.html

PHP Tutorial – Databases in PHP, An Introduction: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/php/article.php/3511346
Tutorial: Installing Apache and PHP Under Win32: http://www.htmlgoodies.com/beyond/php/article.php/3473471

PHP Manual – http://www.php.net/manual/en/
A simple tutorial – http://us.php.net/tut.php
Test scripts: http://www.karakas-online.de/EN-Book/test-scripts.html
Simple Test for PHP: http://www.lastcraft.com/simple_test.php

PHP Hosting: www.webune.com

XAMPP: http://www.apachefriends.org/en/xampp.html

Ron

Red Shoe Hosting has a sale until Sunday. Until then, .com domains are $7.49 each. Hosting starts at $3.99 per month. Red Shoe has a variety of free tools available for you to build a site with…. WordPress, Moodle, forums, etc.

If you are going to build more than one site and you need more than one domain name, Red Shoe Hosting has a great special on private registration as well. If you buy at least 5 domain names, you get FREE private registration. That’s good because people can’t see your real name and address on the WHOIS registration.

I just bought 5 domains about an hour ago. My PayPal bill was $38.45 for the 5 domains plus the free private registration.

I also like Dreamhost for hosting. I have some of my sites there. If you want to use them, the coupon code GET will save you $50 if you pay for a year. A year of hosting is $119.40, so with the coupon, you’ll pay $69.40. Not bad for a whole year! They have a lot of features as well.

Good luck!

As an experienced webmaster I recommend BlueHost service which I’m sure it would work for you and fulfill all your requirements. They have a really great offer for hosting & I have used them for over 3 yrs now, and have never had a single problem with them.

They are a Multi-awarded Web Hosting which offer a Full-featured service only $6.95 a month. Their service is really perfect and uptime.

You can go there through the address below:
http://bluehost-plan.atspace.com

Here I have copied and pasted its features from their website to view:

- Free Domain Forever
- 1500 Gigabyte Hosting Space
- 15000 GIGS of Transfer
- Host UNLIMITED Domains (Support All Domain Names)
- 2,500 POP/Imap Email Accounts
- SSH (Secure Shell), SSL, FTP, Stats
- CGI, Ruby (RoR), Perl, PHP, MySQL
- 2000/2002 Front Page Extensions
- Free Site Builder
- 24/7 Superb/Responsive Sales/Support
- Free Search Engine Submission

They offer an installing service called "Fantastico". By using this service, you can easily create your own forum, photo gallery, shopping carts etc.

******IMPORTANT*******
* This service was awarded as the best Web Host 2008.
* If you sign up for this service you will have $100 credits to advertise your website with the google & yahoo search engines for free!
* If you don’t exactly know what technical features you need for setting up your website, I recommend BlueHost as a full-featured service which fulfills all your requirements.
*************************
Good Luck!

I own this web hosting company, and can work out a deal with you if you are interested. I can work with you for what you need, and work with you on the price you are looking for. You can email me if you would like.

Pomicio@pomirc.com

Thanks!
Kevin

http://secure.hostgator.com/cgi-bin/affiliates/clickthru.cgi?id=flawebhost-ya

Don’t keep your domain registration and hosting at the same place. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.