Apache Friends Support Forum

I have downloaded the file xampp-win32-1.8.3-5-VC11-installer.exe and basically it has managed to crash my computer. If I launch the file directly from Chrome (my browser) nothing happens and one of the chrome.exe process start using the processor core 100%. If I navigate to the file and executes it from explorer, nothing happens and I get an explorer.exe process using the processor core 100%. If I right-click the file and choose "Run as Administrator", nothing happens but at least I get no process using the processor core 100%.

My system is running Windows 7 Home Premium x64 and everything else is running just fine.

It seems to me that the installer might be broken, or installation is more complicated than normal.

I keep getting the error below:


21:36:51 [Apache] improper privileges, a crash, or a shutdown by another method.
21:36:51 [Apache] Press the Logs button to view error logs and check
21:36:51 [Apache] the Windows Event Viewer for more clues
21:36:51 [Apache] If you need more help, copy and post this
21:36:51 [Apache] entire log window on the forums
21:50:39 [main] Executing notepad.exe c:\xampp\apache\logs\access.log
21:51:42 [main] Executing "c:\xampp\mysql\data"
21:51:57 [main] Executing notepad.exe c:\xampp\apache\logs\error.log
21:56:25 [main] Executing "services.msc"

Thanks alot

I have since my initial post tried xampp-win32-1.8.3-3-VC11-installer.exe and xampp-win32-1.8.3-4-VC11-installer.exe, both fail in exactly the same way. My suspicion has shifted away from the installers. but they should fail like that regardless of the problem. The files download correctly and both the 32 bit and the 64 bit versions of the Visual C++ 2012 redistributable are installed.

Can anybody help me understand the problem?

@zagadka,
I think I'd look in my antivirus logs to see if something is being quarantined or simply stopped from being written to the hard drive. One would think the AV would pop up some warning about it but you never know. If I found nothing there, I would look in the event viewer in windows administrator tools to see if I could get any hints from there. If nothing there, I'd use the zip or 7z file and just do the install that way.

@anna,
You should not hijack threads! For you however, do as it says, check Apache's error log for "error" or "crit" entries, "warn" and "notice" are not fatal and not the problem. If nothing there check the event viewer in windows administrator tools for hints. If nothing there, try running Apache from the command line. Open a command prompt window:
cd\xampp\apache\bin
httpd

Nothing in any logs so installing from the 7z file. It works perfectly however installing either Apache or MySQL as service fails likely because I'm installing in a non-standard location on a drive other than c:.

I have the exact same problem as zagadka. So I guess I will install from the zip, how do I do that? Where can I find instructions on how to install from zip?

Thanks,

Fed

fed wrote:I have the exact same problem as zagadka. So I guess I will install from the zip, how do I do that? Where can I find instructions on how to install from zip?

Thanks,

Fed

There is a text file in the zip that explains everything. Just know that installing Apache and MySQL as services is likely to fail if you install on any drive other than c:.

I tried to install an add-on and found that that executable failed as well in exactly the same pattern. I have since installed from executables downloaded from other sites, so I find it hard not to conclude that all XAMPP installers are broken.

zagadka wrote:Just know that installing Apache and MySQL as services is likely to fail if you install on any drive other than c:.

Yes and no.

If the drive is a "normal partition" which is assigned to a letter, it does not fail, because it is assigned by the filesystem on boot time.

If the drive is a NAS or any other network ressource, the drive letter is only assigned to the logged in user, what means, it does not exist before the user has logged in, and all startup services are starting before the login dialog appears, and anyway, the "SYSTEM" user (which usually executes services) does not know anything about this logical drive letter (even after the user has logged in). Therefore it fails.