Install Apache on Windows Vista

Installing Apache under Windows XP was trivial. Not so, under Vista. Creation of the Apache service fails. The conf directory can’t be set up by the installer, probably due to permission problems.

I finally got it working with the following procedure. I used the latest version of Apache (2.2.4) and Windows Vista Home Premium.

1. Uninstall any previous installations of Apache Web server (Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features).
2. Turn off your firewall (Control Panel).
3. Stop User Account Control (UAC).
4. Get the most recent version of apache from http://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi and put it on your desktop. Rename it to apache.msi
5. Start > All Programs > Accessories
6. Right-Click “Command Prompt” and choose “Run as Administrator”
7. Manually remove directories containing previous apache installations (like C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation…)
8. Change to your desktop folder (At prompt type cd desktop)
9. Type “msiexec /i apache.msi” on the command prompt.
10. Run through the Apache installer. I’m running a development server, so I left the domain and computer name blank. Choose the default server on port 80 for all users option. Change the installation directory to c:\apache.
11. Reboot.
12. The little Apache feather won’t appear on the task bar under Vista with the present version of Apache (2.2.4). To remove the “error” box that says ‘the operation completed successfully” on startup, go to  All Programs > Startup,  and remove the Apache item there.
13. Browse to http://localhost. It should say “It works!” If it doesn’t, check your httpd.conf file by going to All Programs > Apache HTTP Server 2.2.x > Configure Apache Server > Test Configuration. Follow the directions for fixing the configuration file.
14. Turn your firewall back on. You can turn UAC back on too, if you like (mine is off, and it’s staying off!)