Section :: Rants and Raves

Installing Apache on Vista

by Huw Collingbourne

Grrrrrr.....

Friday 20 July 2007.

I’ve been putting this off for a long time. And with good cause! I administer a number of database-driven Web applications such as the Bitwise site itself and the site of my software company (both of which use the excellent SPIP CMS) plus a few other applications to manage newsletters and the like. Each of these requires an installation of MySQL, PHP and an Apache server. While these are all pre-installed on the online server, my local copies - used for development on my PC - have to be installed be me...

Up to now, my local installation has run on Windows XP. But I am gradually moving everything across to a new PC running Vista. I always suspected this would cause me problems. And I was right.

The good news is that the installation of MySQL was trouble-free. The bad new is that the installation of Apache just didn’t work. I haven’t yet got around to trying to install PHP (I need a rest after battling against Apache), but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this will be reasonably painless...

I’ve installed Apache several times in the past and I even wrote a tutorial on how to do it. But Vista proved bothersome. In the end, I gave up trying to figure out how to get Apache working on Vista and resorted, instead, to some creative Googling. Luckily, this turned up exactly what I needed - a first rate guide to installing Apache on Vista on the Molecular Sieve Blog which, curiously enough, is largely about chemistry rather than Apache. If you have problems with Apache and Vista, I recommend that you follow the Molecular Sieve instructions to the letter. The only slight variation I made was to set the ‘Monitor Apache Server’ compatibility properties to ‘Windows XP Service Pack 2’ (as suggested in one of the comments) rather than delete the item as suggested in the Blog entry itself.

Over the couple of months in which I’ve been using Vista, I have had mixed feelings about the OS. On the one hand, it definitely looks nicer than XP (though not as nice as OS X) and I am glad that Microsoft has started addressing security issues more seriously. On the other hand, I’m not sure that the way in which it has addressed those security issues is the most civilized way conceivable. Its insistence on popping up warnings every time I try to run a perfectly legitimate program is annoying more than useful. It’s so annoying, indeed, that I am sorely tempted to disable it (via the User Account Control entry in the Control Panel). These warnings feel like nagging rather than real security checking (if I do happen accidentally to run a malicious program, I kind of expect another message to pop up saying “Well, we did warn you...”). The ZoneAlarm anti-virus software pops up similar warnings even on XP - which is one of the main reasons I uninstalled it and went back to using the less intrusive Sophos antivirus.

Anyway, I now have MySQL and Apache running. Time to get started on PHP, I guess. Wish me luck...

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Installing Apache on Vista
24 July 2007

For development on a winbox I use wampserver. I like it because it is lightweight and self contained.

Plus it works fine on my Vista box as well my XP box.
Installing Apache on Vista
24 July 2007, by David Heffernan

One word: xammp
- Installing Apache on Vista
  2 August 2007, by Allan Banda
  
  I have been trying to install apache on vista for sometime now but I am not getting through. has anyone get it work?
  - Installing Apache on Vista
    24 August 2007, by Stankovic Vladimir
    
    You must install apache from cmd promt with command : msiexec /i After installing, you must also set compatibility mode for Apache Monitor to Win XP SP2 via properties. If you don’t do this, Apache Monitor won’t work.
    
    Transition to Microsoft Windows Vista X64
- Installing Apache on Vista
  22 April 2008
  
  I realize that this topic may have gone by a long time ago, but I can’t seem to get Apache working under xampp on Vista... PHP and the rest seem to work fine. I tried turning off UAC and running command line as adminstrator (but using an installer I don’t imagine this helps) and then I turned off local firewalls... Ultimately I was trying for a local install of Joomla! Any help would be appreciated.
  - Installing Apache on Vista
    9 September 2008, by Rob Pine
    
    My OS is Vista Home Premium edition
    
    I am also trying to achieve a local install of Joomla.
    
    I have downloaded the xampp installer and have run this. The install process seemed to work seemlessly ending with the Congratulations you have installed xampp!
    
    However when I run the xampp control panel mySQL indicates it is running, but apache will not run. If I swipe over where the green ’running’ indicator should be I actually see the word ’stopped’.
    
    I have disabled UAC and installed xampp at C:\xampp as instructed.
    
    I have uninstalled and then reinstalled xampp on half a dozen occaisions with the same annoying result - Apache simply will not run.
    
    I have tried disabling firewalls and allowing Apache through the firewall, but nothing seems to work.
    
    I am exasperated! Any help would be appreciated.
    - Installing Apache on Vista
      15 September 2008
      
      I’ve been using XAMPP with Apache for quite a while now under Vista Ultimate with no trouble. I didn’t disable the UAC or my antivirus or firewall. I just ran the XAMPP install. Not much help to you but at least it can be done.
      
      With the most recent XAMPP, I do have to start Apache manually from the XAMPP Control Panel on each boot.
      
      Installing Apache on Vista
      3 December 2008, by ::..SmS..::
      
      first Stop IIS service. Then start Apache Server.
      
      Installing Apache on Vista
      27 December 2008
      
      I have xampp on Vista Business, apache works fine, but sometimes had problem start. I found out that there was a conflict with Skype. When I start apache first and then Skype, everything is all right.