Apache (Retired)
Introduction and Summary
Apache is one of the most common, versatile, and supported web servers of all time due to its easy installation and high functionality. This article is meant to guide you through the process of installing and configuring a fresh new install of Apache and the libraries it works well with (PHP and MySQL) on a Windows environment.
Selecting the Proper Environment
Another great thing about Apache is that it runs well on most (if not all) operating systems and provides the same functionality. Before you get started, you want to select which OS you are going to run the web server on. You as the server administrator (or poor soul assigned this agonizing task) should note the features you need and what OS they work best on. If you need a utility that runs better on a Linux server distro than on Windows Server, you might want to select a Linux distro that works well for you (vice versa Windows server.)
If you only need an Apache server running, the general consensus is that it will run the same regardless of OS on most modern hardware, but some disagree. You, however, get to pick your poison. (see here)
Dependencies and Prerequisites
Before you begin, you're obviously going to need to download Apache. You can find this here. Once you have it downloaded, unzip the folder called "Apache24" and paste it into the C:\ drive (or whatever drive your primary partition is on.)
Open a new command prompt window as administrator and navigate to the bin folder in your Apache directory by running
cd C:/Apache24/bin
and then run the command:
httpd -k install
You should now see "The 'Apache2.4' service is successfully installed." on the 2nd line of the output. After this, start Apache by running the command in the same directory:
httpd -k start
Note: For future reference, in order to manage the Apache service, you can either run the httpd -k command with the options start, restart, or stop. Alternatively, you can manage the service by opening services.msc, finding the Apache2.4 service, and then right clicking on it to manage it there.
VCURNTIME140.dll Error
"The program can't start because VCRUNTIME140.dll is missing from your computer. Try reinstalling the program to fix this issue."
Go here and scroll below the "DLL-files.com Client Demo" button where it says "VCRUNTIME140.DLL, 7 AVAILABLE VERSIONS" and download both the 64-bit and 32-bit file if you have a 64-bit OS, and only the 32-bit file if you have a 32-bit OS.
This will get a little confusing, but this is where to put the file(s):
64-bit OS 64-bit File -> C:/Windows/System32 32-bit File -> C:/Windows/SysWOW64
32-bit OS 32-bit File -> C:/Windows/System32
todo: finish dependencies and prerequisites, then Apache Installation + PHP Installation + MySQL Installation + Verifying Functionality + Celebration