Python, Java and Selenium RC clean set up

What should be installed first?

You have to install:
1. Python 2.7.x - this is to run automated tests
2. Java - this is to run selenium server

Python installation 

1. Download and Install python 2.7.x to C:/Python27
2. Set up environment variables:
    a) Control Panel > System > “Edit the system environment variables” or press Win+Pause and select “Advanced system settings”
    b) Press Environment variables
    c) Add new System varaiable named PYTHONPATH. For the value, put the path where Python is installed (e.g. “C:\Python”) Hit OK. Edit the “Path” variable. Add a “;” followed by the path where Python is installed (e.g. “C:\Python”) and hit OK. Press OK in the Environment variables window.
    d) Your python should become configured now. Open CMD (Start > Run> “cmd”), type “python”, hit enter, you should see Python start: Now you can either quit python (hit ctrl+C ot ctrl+Break) or close cmd. Python is installed.

Java installation 

Here is a great guide with screenshots how to install Java: http://www.wikihow.com/Install-Java After all steps from the above link are done:
1. Go to Control Panel > System > “Edit the system environment variables” or press Win+Pause and select “Advanced system settings”, edit Path variable: ensure that it contains path to “path_where_java_installed/bin” folder

2. Then open CMD (if it is opened, you should close and reopen CMD)(Start > Run> “cmd”), type “java”, hit enter, you should see Java usage options.

That’s it. Java is installed. 

Running selenium server. 

1. Go to http://docs.seleniumhq.org/download/ and download latest Selenium Server, eg http://selenium-release.storage.googleapis.com/2.40/selenium-server-standalone-2.40.0.jar  
2. Open cmd, cd to the folder with selenium server and execute 'start java -jar selenium-server-standalone-2.40.0.jar'
3. You will see new window with selenium server started. By default it starts on 4444 port, but you can say exact port to selenium server with command -port, eg
'start java -jar selenium-server-standalone-2.40.0.jar -port 8808'

That's it. Selenium server is running. You can stop it by just closing the window of Selenium server.