If you have a windows machine you can use and install stuff on, (doesn't have to be a "server" or anything) you can use PHPTriad. (http://www.phpgeek.com/index.php)
This free suite includes Apache for win32, PHP, MySQL, PERL, and PHPmyadmin. These components will work with any desktop, don't need anything special. Apache runs in a minimized window and you place your php or other webfile in a sub-directory of the Apache directory (I think it is called htdocs, or something like that... it has been a long time since I've used the suite.)
You can then access your files by using "http://localhost/index.php" format in your browser. Good if you want to test php scripts without having to upload to a seperate server.
If you have any questions you can contact me here:
http://summers.dhs.org/jon/?request=contact
