Multiple Installations

I did one site on my local machine and published it. Works fine. I’m trying to install a new copy of wordpress for a second site and 3 days later I’m going nuts.

I’m using WampServer. In myy www folder I created a second folder for the new site and downloaded all the wordpress files into it from a clean download. I added a new database in my phpadmin under winamp. In the new wp-config-sample.php I added the new db name and a user and p/w. When I run the install from the new folder I get so far and then this…

Error establishing a database connection

This either means that the username and password information in your wp-config.php file is incorrect or we can’t contact the database server at localhost. This could mean your host’s database server is down.

Are you sure you have the correct username and password?
Are you sure that you have typed the correct hostname?
Are you sure that the database server is running?

I know the host and server are correct. What anm I doing wrong?

Now further, I changed the wp_ prefix to wpDDD_ in the sample config file as told by the help screens for multiple copies of wordpress.

I’m lost. I’d like to know how to do this so I can work on multiple sites under my one copy of WAmpServer and phpAdmin.

I’ve been coding professionally for over 25 years but wordpress is new territory for me so I’m learning as I go.