localhost access as http not https

[vespera]

I was using wamp for some time, and now I've decided to try Xampp. I've installed ver 1.7.1 (it has PHP 5.2.9 - Joomla doesn't work for now with PHP 5.3). Installation went well - I set the password for phpMyAdmin, and created a few virtual hosts. They are all listed in my hosts file

Code: Select all

127.0.0.1       localhost
127.0.0.1       opatija21
127.0.0.1       proeduca
127.0.0.1       rona
127.0.0.1       test

I also set the parameters in httpd-vhosts.conf (actually copied the settings that I had in Wamp, and adjusted the paths to Xampp)

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NameVirtualHost *:80

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName localhost
    DocumentRoot "E:/xampp/htdocs"
    ErrorLog "error.log"
    CustomLog "access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName www.opatija21.hr
    ServerAlias opatija21  opatija21.hr
    DocumentRoot "E:/xampp/htdocs/opatija21"
    ErrorLog "logs/opatija21-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/opatija21-access.log" common
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName test
    DocumentRoot "E:/xampp/htdocs/test"
    ErrorLog "logs/test-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/test-access.log" common
</VirtualHost>


and so on for each virtual host stated in the hosts file.
Every virtual host (domain) has its own folder, and its own database with password.
Actually it all works well - I've started Apache and MySQL (I'm still not too familiar with Mercury, but I'll get to it...), Installed Joomla on one of the virtual hosts, made sure that the include httpd-vhosts.conf is enabled...
And there is the problem:
I can access all sites by typing https://localhost/xampp/ or https://localhost/test/ or whatever the name of the virtual host is, but if I try open it as http://localhost/xampp/ or http://localhost/test/ all I get is Access forbidden Error 403.
If I click on Apache Admin in Xampp control panel (it points to http://localhost/) I also get a 403 error, but the MySQL Admin that points to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ opens correctly the phpMyAdmin start page to log in with the password I've set earlier. I have set both Apache and MySQL to run as services (manual start) and I start them through Xampp control panel.
I don't remember that I've set something during the installation... I was used to access the sites through HTTP in wamp - why should Xampp be different? What should I change so I can access my sites through HTTP?
Thank's

[Wiedmann]

I set the password for phpMyAdmin, and created a few virtual hosts.
...
If I click on Apache Admin in Xampp control panel (it points to http://localhost/) I also get a 403 error, but the MySQL Admin that points to http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ opens correctly the phpMyAdmin start page to log in with the password I've set earlier.

Was this working right after the installation (before you have changed anything in the config files yourself)?

[vespera]

I'm actually not sure now - I dont think it was - could be that this happened after I set the password for mySQL root user, in http://localhost/security/xamppsecurity.php. (I didn't set the password for xampp directory protection there).

[Wiedmann]

could be that this happened after I set the password for mySQL root user,

No. MySQL is a separate server and have nothing to do with the webserver.

[vespera]

Forgot to mention, on Xampp status page the HTTPS (SSL) is "Activated" - but I don't remember activating it?
How do I deactivate it?

[Wiedmann]

on Xampp status page the HTTPS (SSL) is "Activated"

That's not related to your problem (can't access with HTTP).

How do I deactivate it?

Don't load the ssl_module in "httpd.conf".

[vespera]

Just found the problem - it was my httpd-vhosts.conf.
All the virtual hosts were corectlly defined, except for the localhost itself, instead of setting the root for
ServerName localhost
to
DocumentRoot "E:/xampp/htdocs"
I have set it to just "E:/xampp".
Once I added that "htdocs" at the end of path, all was well - now I can open pages with http://localhost/...