note 103976 added to install.windows.apache2

Here is yet another aspect of the "faulting module php5ts.dll" crash when trying to start apache. I installed Apache 2.2.18, Mysql 5.1.57 and PHP 5.2.17 (apache module, VC6 thread-safe - initially with no extensions) on a fresh WinXP SP3 system. The versions chosen were because I was trying to replicate as near as possible apps on my Linux server. Everything configured and ran properly without php extensions, so I then reran the msi installer and chose the necessary extensions. I reconfigured httpd.conf but apache then just kept crashing. Eventually I came across the "fix" mentioned elsewhere "copy libmysql.dll to apache folder" and suddenly it worked. But why? I checked and the php installation folder was in the system path. The answer was simply that I had never rebooted. It seems that whatever process controls windows services only reads the path at boot time. I was thrown by assuming that if I started httpd from the command line then it would inherit that path. Here are a few diagnostic tips that helped me along the way: Try the CLI command: php -m and see that the command line version loads all the modules you asked for. in php.ini, enable display_errors = On and display_startup_errors = On The latter pops up a window saying which extension it has trouble loading. Of course it is not perfectly clear, because it says something like 'unable to load "C:\php\ext\php_mysql.dll" - The specified module could not be found'. It lies - it really does find that dll, but it must have failed on the dependency of libmysql.dll. ---- Server IP: 69.147.83.197 Probable Submitter: 202.7.246.26 ---- Manual Page -- http://www.php.net/manual/en/install.windows.apache2.php Edit -- https://master.php.net/note/edit/103976 Del: integrated -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/integrated Del: useless -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/useless Del: bad code -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/bad+code Del: spam -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/spam Del: non-english -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/non-english Del: in docs -- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976/in+docs Del: other reasons-- https://master.php.net/note/delete/103976 Reject -- https://master.php.net/note/reject/103976 Search -- https://master.php.net/manage/user-notes.php