by haslamjd » 10. March 2007 14:28
Okay, I finally got this working. Since I hate posts where the person needing help runs away after it works and never tells the ending of his/her story, Here is what I found out.
Because I ran Sokkit some time ago (similar to xampp, but older versions of programs) , there were remnants of Apache left over in the registry from that installation. First clue was when I got the message from the events log telling me the path was wrong. Second clue was when I tried to bypass the xampp control panel and start Apache straight from its directory in a command window -- and it failed (Command window: Start>Run type "cmd" and then navigate to the Apache directory using DOS commands, then start Apache according to the Apache web site directives). So I tried to start Apache a few times in succession (each failing) and then I checked the events logs again. Same thing...wrong path. (Events path: go to Start>All Programs>Administrative Tools>Event Viewer and then double click System in the left menu and then view the properties of the listed items on the right.)
Thinking that the program, or some other control device, was seeing something besides what it should be, I dove into the registry -- half-heartedly of course (I went to Start>Run then type "regedit" then I ran a search of the registry of Apache using the Find feature in the top menu). I was sent to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > CurrentControlSet > Services, and this is where I found the culprits.
So, in the registry under Services I found two version entries for the Apache server. One was Apache2 the other Apache2.2. The first showed it was from the original Sokkit install in the path info (even though I ran a registry cleaner after uninstalling Sokkit), the second was from the xampp install. Next, I uninstalled xampp and returned to the registry. Both were still there. I backed up the registry, then I deleted both entries and rebooted (Note -- Delete at your own risk and only after you have made a recent and reliable backup of your working registry.) I again checked the registry and they both were indeed still gone. I then reinstalled xampp and now it works like a charm.
So, if you have ever installed Apache before, and removed it from your machine -- and even used a reliable registry cleaner -- still check the registry for lingering remnants of prior installations if you get the message in the title of this thread. I may have gotten lucky, but it worked for me.
I really hope that this helps someone get your system up and going, or at least gets you thinking about this problem in a different way. Oh, and thanks to those who took the time to offer those cryptic responses. I guess they helped in the long run, but of course only after one spends hours of time trying to decipher and Google what on Earth you might be saying. (Too bad you felt that you couldn't spare a little more time to share some of your in-depth knowledge and offer direction in helping to solve this problem -- especially during a time of panic and frustration. However, my hat is off to you, thank you for at least offering something.)