Apache Can't Start

[Sharley]

Help please

I have installed xampp 1.7.7 and apache will not start with the following error

ERROR: Apache service not started (-1)

I have tried xampp-portchecker.exe as suggested elsewhere but it says port 80 etc is free

any help would be very much appreciated.

[Sharley]

Please read the \xampp\apache\logs\error.log file for clues why Apache can't start.

Thanks.

[Roel]

If apache doesn't start it won't write to this log file, will it?
At least in xampp 1.7.4 it doesn't....
I'm thinking it could be the firewall, checking that out now.

[Sharley]

If apache doesn't start it won't write to this log file, will it?

If Apache has never started after installing then there will be no error log file.

If Apache has started previously but now won't start then there may be clue entries in the error log file.

There are many reasons why Apache won't start after installation including other applications using port 80 and/or port 443 and as you pointed a possible firewall or other security application like ZoneAlarm etc blocking Apache or the above ports.

[Roel]

Thanks, one application was the problem. In cmd.exe: netstat -a -no showed the pid using port 80, tasklist revealed the application using this pid.
Btw: the error log existed with many entries before, but now no error was entered.