NO admin login! I just installed OpenCart. There is not way to login as an admin.

Absolute newbe to Apache, mysql, php...etc. JUST installed OpenCart to a folder called shop and created a database with the same name. I was successful in installing phpbb so I don't think I'm too ignorant. Created a database named shop, installed to a folder named shop and I got no errors.

When I go to http://localhost/shop, the store loads, and my only options are "Login" and "Register". If I try to login, it asks for an email address, not the user that I created in mysql. There is no email address associated with the user I created in mysql, thinking it would be the admin.

I can create an account, but of course that gives me no love.

It's very hard to follow here, because you haven't provided much details, as required by the forum rules.

But in general, your http://localhost/shop will be the frontend, and the http://localhost/shop/admin will point to the admin backend. And the frontend pages don't ask you for a login or register until you have come to the checkout. In OpenCart terminology, users refer to admin backend users, whereas customers refer to end customers. The mysql user is something different altogether, and is only used by OpenCart internally to access your database.

Simply questions.

Where, how and why?