Comments: Installing and configuring Apache on Windows XP

Hi John

Now don't laugh but I am 70 yrs old guy trying to understand this modern technogley. You lesson on Apache is the first I have understood. I am looking forward to your PHP lesson. Thanks for making things more clearer

WIlf

Just wanted to say thank you for your tutorial it helped me tremendously.

gf

Hi John;

Your tutorial on Apache Installation is great!

Thanks a lot.

Regards.

Boboy

For PC security, I have both administrator & limited user accounts on an XP machine. Daily usage is on 'limited' user and all installations & maintenance is done through 'admin' user.

Having searched for 'start stop apache server xp user', ( as I needed to start/stop apache & sql servers logged in as a limited user in WinXP ), I immediately found this article and it answered everything & more.

The 'run as Administrator' fix is so obvious I could kick myself. However, had I not done this search I wouldn't have picked up the tips for directory structuring to mirror my Web Server.

It also shed more light on my Virtual Servers, which currently work fine, but I can now tweak them a little more for ease of future implementation.

My thanks to you and your Apache Help page, John.

Happily running Apache-2.054, MySql-3.23.58, Perl-5.8.6.811, php-4.4.0, phpMyAdmin-2.6.2, MySqlCC-0.9.4, Smarty-2.6.9, DreamweaverMX on local Win32 platform for a Unix Hosting Server.

php-5 & MySql-4 currently seem reluctant to work so I must defer to the old adage 'if it ain't broke .... don't fix it'.

regards, Jake

@Daniel: you might want to change the first line of printenv.pl to contain the path to perl.exe. It probably now states:

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

Changing it to:

#!C:/perl/bin/perl.exe

does the trick, if on your system this is the path to the perl program as well.

Another option is using:

ScriptInterpreterSource registry

in your configuration file (httpd.conf, or a file you include by adding an Include directive to httpd.conf)

@Mike Kear - yes, IIS uses port 80, so Apache won't run on port 80 as well. I have IIS configured to run on port 8080 since I use it only for one project I am developing for a customer.

Apache is used in several projects, so I prefer port 80 for Apache.

I have to say that your site was the first I hit on a google search for setting up a local host server to test webpages before publishing them. Very informative and helpful, as I now have a successfully running apache 2.2 web server hitting the loopback address for all my websites.

Thanks!

This is the best article I have read on the subjuct!

However - I still cannot get it to work.

What exactly do I type in the browser to access my local site? For apache's default page, I type http://localhost No problem there.

For my virtual host setup (dev.ffcc.org) I try typing http://dev.ffcc.org

It wants to connect me to the internet, instead of serving up the page locally. I must be missing something.

Runing apache 1.3.27 on windows xp.

I have followed the instructions to the letter, modifying the httpd.conf and the hosts files. Re-boot.

I did get it to serve up my web site site under "localhost" instead of apache's default page, by removing the virtual host directive for local host.

any help would be appreciated.

Chris

Follow up to my earlier post - IE wants to dial up when I try to access my virtual hosts. I thought my vhost setting were wrong. But I nearly went crazy, because one moment it worked, and the next it did not. And so forth many times over. If I did not connect to the internet, my page would not found (because I was then "working offline").

I will share my solution for anyone else who may bang their heads up against the wall ...

My internet connections setting was the problem "always dial my default connection". Being on dial-up service this is convenient, but problematic. I could not access virtual hosts without being online (the whole point is to be able to access them without being online!) Because I was searching for a solution, I was online, following instructions which seemed to work. Then I would disconnect, go about setting everything up, test, and it wouldn't work!

Solution: change the setting to "never dial a connection". Maybe it's a windows/ IE thing.

Once again, your page is really great, the best I have seen written. Except for this little snafu, it all works beautifully. I am thrilled to finally have this set up properly!

Thank you!

Thanks very much for this - it's the first comprehensible tutorial on this topic I've ever come across!

However, for some reason the method you describe doesn't quite work on my computer, but with a little playing around with hosts and the virtual-hosts.txt file, I managed to get it to work. In case it's of any use to anyone:

I found that if all my virtual hosts were 127.0.0.1, it would only direct to one of them. However, if I set them up in the 'hosts' file as:

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.2 lc.example.com
...

and so on, and then instead of I used , and so on in the 'virtual-hosts.txt' file, then everything worked fine.

Is that a sensible alternative way of doing things, do you think?

(One other thing: I found that it seems I have to close and re-open my browser for it to register changes in the 'hosts' file - worth trying if you're having problems getting things to work).

Once again thanks for a tutorial that finally helped me to do something I've been trying intermittently for weeks to get to work.

Nick

If only this tutorial had been available when I first set up my Apache Server! Very well written and very easy to understand, and great tips on virtual hosting, I can now clean up my conf file. Good tips about keeping the security stuff ABOVE root as well, very sensible advice. PHP advice would be most welcome now as I have never properly used it before.

Hi! Sorryo ther you again...

I've checked the syntax of my virtual hosts file, and when I use

NameVirtualHost *:80

<VirtualHost *>

Apache reports that NameVirtualHost *:80 has no virtual hosts...

Any thoughts?

Hi John,

I am installing Apache into my WIndows XP and I've encountered error messages about the httpd.conf "Os 10048". Something like only one usage of each socket address ..."

I am trying to install Apache and PHP into my XP.

It would be much appreciate it if you could help me.

Kind regards,

Alvin

This is a good tutorial - it will come in handy for many projects - is it possible to install and Dual Boot Apache and IIS?

There seems to be a renewed interested in Dual Booting as of late

Thanks, the tutorial really helped me installing apache 2.2

@Sana, Richard - my bad, my original article contained a mistake (fixed now):

<VirtualHost *>

should have been:

<VirtualHost *:80>

I figured out that Nick's method

127.0.0.1 localhost
127.0.0.2 lc.example.com
...

works. I had however also have to make a virtual host section for the localhost

<VirtualHost *:80>

    ServerName localhost
    DocumentRoot "C:/my/document-root/"


    ErrorLog logs/localhost.error.log
</VirtualHost>

In addition, in the httpd.conf there is a restriction on which clients (identified by IP-address) might access the document root. I had to widen it:

<Directory "C:/my/document-root">
    #...
    Allow from 127.0.0
    #...
</Directory>

replace C:/my/document-root with your own document root.

Hopes this helps someone.

Brilliant! This information on the Windows hosts file and virtual hosts was a godsend! If you ever need someone to have your babies, look me up.

Seriously, though, thank you. Cheers!

Hi,

I installed apache as per ur notes but monitor apache server is not starting n its not showing any services to start in services.msc please reply me in this regards. will be waiting

Hi! I am starting out, but there is a newer version of Apache available and I want to use the newer one, but am reluctant to because your tutorial is on an older one...I don't want to start out blind because your tutorial is very detailed...

OK. I've installed apache2 for my personal web page.

All I want is that visitors are able to see my html pages only.

What can I do?

When I try to access my domain name, the first thing that comes out is the contents of my folder.

I do not want the whole folder to show, just the main html file that I have placed there. Does anybody have an idea how to change this issue? I am running "Apache 2.0.59".

hello, i read all and also configured accordingly.in virtual host setting for documentroot in "c://program files/apache group/apache 2/htdoc" it worked fine for my server but placing another html at "C;/program files /apache group/apache 2/include" or any else directory it didnt work... plz kindly guide me

Just to echo the thanks of many others and the congratulations on providing such a clear explanation suitable even for server-novices like myself.

I feel many times more in control than I did a half-hour ago!

hey there i tried to install apache with ur instructions and stuff... it get installed, but there are some problems

1- i installed, uninstalled, and installed this stuff many times as i was not able to view the test apache server page ( the one we get to see after typing "http://localhost/" , do i get to reinstall windows for this ? or the uninstall though control add and remove programs is well enuff.

2- i saw that blocking and unblock windows pop up first time when i was installing the apache. now when i install it, it doesnt come.

3- the error that it gives when i write the localhost url in the browser is that connection times out. when i remove the proxies and stuff then it says the page cannot be displayed.

i added the test url in bypass proxy option.

nothing is working. plzzzzzzzzzz help

i am using apache 2.0.59

Hello John

Is this going to work Ok with XP Home Edition, just completed a Frontpage course and shown how to load IIS...however XP HE does not support this

Am I doing the right thing?

Many thanks for you help

Thanks John

Great easy to understand tutorial.

I can't wait for you to have one on setting up PHP with Apache, because I have followed other tutorials to the nth degree and it just doesn't happen.

too good i could understand many things.....

thank you very much...

hi John,

I followed your instructions for installing Apache on Windows XP and created the following virtual hosts:

# default: localhost

    ServerAdmin webmaster@dummy-host2.localhost
    ServerName localhost
    DocumentRoot "C:/Program Files/ApacheWebServer/Apache2.2/htdocs"
    ErrorLog "logs/localhost.error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/localhost.access.log" combined

# gamaingstandards.com

    ServerAdmin webmaster@dummy-host2.localhost
    ServerName lh.gamingstandards.com
    DocumentRoot "C:/Documents and Settings/Rob/My Documents/websites/gamingstandards.com"
    ErrorLog "logs/lh.gamingstandards.com.error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/lh.gamingstandards.com.access.log" combined

localhost works but, when I attempted to go to lh.gamingstandards.com, I get the following error message:

"You are not authorized to view this page"

Any idea how to fix this? I'm the administrator and only user on this machine.

thanks, Rob

After reading through the many comments and solutions, I tried to install apache 2.2.4 to my existing php5.2.1. For 2 hours, a test php file appeared as a request to download.

After having a cup of coffee and restarting the browser, apache 2.2.4 and php 5.2.1 now works fine. I don't know how it will behave tomorrow.

It's no wonder that some people have been mysteriously blessed with additional zeroes by their bank's computers for no particular reason. So for some of you who are facing this problem, just take a beer of something and perhaps the computer might be more cooperative.

And thanks to John for a helpful tutorial.

Very clear. I followed your Apache and PHP and it simply worked. Kudos, kudos. Rare that someone writes so clearly and with good and helpful picks.

I followed your directory structure -- more or less -- and everything was fine until I added a new one. Apache can't seem to find any new virtuals. Stop/Start, of course. Anything I'm missing?

i have configure three virtual hosts. and put a index.html file in their document root.

bur when i was trying to open other virtual sites it always Its Works!

hi pankaj,

Are you sure the configuration file is read? You can test this by making a mistake in the virtual host file, for example just type something like asdfgsasda after NameVirtualHost. If you stop and then start Apache and the latter fails, you are at least sure that the file is read.

Thanks for this tutorial John. I have been programming 25 years but only recently started using Apache/PHP and even some JSP and servlets. I had been using htdocs as my development and testing folder which was getting messy with 6 sites to maintain. I now have 7 virtual hosts, I made an extra one for using as a sandbox.