Subversion on Windows XP

This entry is if you need to setup a subversion code repository for managing your code on a Windows XP box:

1) Run the EXE (svn-1.4.6-setup.exe found at Get the EXE to install Subversion

2) Issue the repository creation commands from the Windows command line wherever you want to make your repository:
a) mkdir svn
b) svnadmin create c:<path to svn>\repos to create the fundamental repository structure

3) Create the subversion Windows service

sc create svn binPath= "\"C:\Program Files\Subversion\bin\svnserve.exe\" --service -r C:\<path to svn>" DisplayName= "Subversion Server" depend= Tcpip start= auto

4) Start the subversion Windows service, either from the command line with "net start svn" or from the services listing in Control Panel.

5) Go and remove the anonymous access from the repository conf directory file C:\<path to svn>\repos\conf\svnserve.conf, uncomment these lines and change anon-access to none:

anon-access = none
auth-access = write
password-db = passwd
realm = My Subversion Repository

6) Add some users who can get at the repository, by editing C:\<path to svn>\repos\conf\passwd, in the format:

username = userpassword 

7) Check the service is working from some directory from the windows command line tool using the command:

svn checkout svn://localhost/repos

It should ask you for your password, and will create your local copy of repos

Done.