Installing PHP 5.3.5, PHP 5.3.6, PHP 5.3.7 or PHP 5.3.8 on Windows

Which PHP Version do I install on Windows? PHP 5.3.5, PHP 5.3.6, PHP 5.3.7 or PHP 5.3.8?

So you have decided to install PHP into a windows operating system with Apache because it is the best http web server around. The bigger the number the better it should be right?

Not so.

And luckily for you, we have created an easy how to install php for windows walk through guide for you. But before you jump ahead, first ask yourself if you are installing Apache downloaded from the apache website. If so, then make sure you use the PHP 5.3.5 guide when you arrive at the PHP install guide destination.

If you are using (or are willing to use) the apache version compiled at Apache Lounge, then use PHP 5.3.8 or PHP 5.3.6. The newer version is the most up to date version.

PHP 5.3.7 is buggy which is why PHP 5.3.8 was released so soon after it.

Although the install guide says it is for PHP 5.3.6, it actually points to the PHP 5.3.8 version (or the 5.3.6 version if you prefer) and will guide you through the install process and help you to troubleshoot any issues you may encounter.

Should I install PHP 5.4
Only install PHP 5.4 if you understand that it is still in Beta. That means that this version is still in testing mode and may change before an official production version becomes available for general public release.

If you are setting up a test computer for your online website. It is best to install the same version that you have on your website. How to find this out is also covered in the guide link above.

-fin

The fb_xd_Fragment and the FaceBook Like button

The fb_xd_Fragment
This is bit of code can appear sometimes in facebook's link back to your site from the facebook like button. However, it's not you, it's them that are creating the extra work for you.

Some sites recommend you correct this in google, bing and yahoo webmaster tools etc. Probably the smarter thing to do is to first ensure you use correctly the canonical  link rel tag. View our How to use the link rel canonical tag.

If you are using apache, you might want to include some code to get around any blank page issue. The following code and the above link are also on our web page that discusses the fb_xd_Fragment

This is the apache code we recommend at this time:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine ON
#Facebook Redirect For Added String
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} .*fb_xd_fragment.*
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://www.websiteadministrator.com.au/$1? [R=301,L]
</IfModule>

This either drops enough of the offending code or removes it completely from the browser link (use your own www address). So this seems to do the job but should probably be modified a little further. Feel free to add your work-arounds to this post.

Follow up on the above fb_xd_fragment note:
The above code seems to have correctly resolved the issue i was facing on my host. To follow the error, i was using statcounter's landing page url. The landing page is now correct in my reports. No reference to the fb_xd_fragment is reported in the landing page data anymore, just the correct url.

How to remove Php 5.3.x. An un-install Php loop solution.

Have you had an endless loop problem when trying to remove Php 5.3.x from your Windows system? You run the install or un-install program and you are continuously told the software is unable to complete the process (install or un-install)?

There is a solution to this problem which lies in fixing the Windows registry keys. We have updated our Php 5.3.5 and Php 5.3.6 troubleshooting guides to assist those in need of a method to break the endless chain.

Installing Guide for Apache 2.2.19 in Windows

Looking for a guide for installing apache 2.2.19 in Microsoft Windows?

WAS has now published their online apache 2.2.19 walk-through guide to step you through the process. The 2.2.17 guide is now archived but still available through the same above link. This is a great release from the guys over at the foundation and comes with an improved httpd.conf file which is much for friendly for those looking at installing ssl on their servers.

Why does Php 5.3 need or require Apache VC9?

Pre Php5.3.6

If you are looking to install Php 5.3 with official Apache Http Server 2.2.17 software on a Windows Operating System (XP SP3 or later), you can happily install and use Php version 5.3.5 or earlier. Our install guides cover apache VC6 compatible download and install for Php versions 5.3.3 onwards. You can select the version you wish to install from top or side menu selections. Our 5.3.5 guide carries an updated troubleshooter and other more contemporary data. This includes a discourse on VC6 and VC9 which is further expanded upon in the 5.3.6 guide.

Post Php5.3.5 

The only reason your Php installation would need or require Apache VC9 is if you were determined to install Php 5.3.6 (or a newer version of Php) on a Windows Computer that is serving the web or you plan to use this exact setup to serve your web pages on the internet in the future. The Php-Windows team (for Apache software) is currently using a VC9 Apache compiled resource for their own further development of Php-Apache on Windows software. This is a specific Windows thing and is further covered in our 5.3.6 guide.

What Web Server

So the main question to resolve here is what operating system are you running on your web server? If you have a web host, this information will be detailed in the configuration notes you were given when you signed up for your hosting package. If not, send an email to tech support and ask them what server software configuration you are using to host your website.

My website is run on Unix.. Therefore my server side software is Unix-Apache-Php and suffers from none of the limitations of a Windows-Apache-Php setup.

My work system is MicroSoft. So my website testing software setup is going to remain VC6 simply because this is the only software the Apache Website lists as an approved Windows-Apache download. Would  I ever switch to a MicroSoft as a website server? Never!

What are my options

But some of you might use windows as a website server and so this question might be more dear to you than it is to me. And this raises four potential paths of action for you.

• Do nothing, (use Php 5.3.5 or earlier).
• Change to a Php endorsed VC9 version of Apache software
• Wait for an Apache Software Foundation endorsed VC9 version of software
• Switch to a Unix/Linux or other operating system using the Apache HTTP Server that does not suffer from this ongoing issue.

Of course, in many cases, we can transfer your site and setup a hosting website package for you from as little as $100/yr* on a unix server if you want to look at the last option.

Re-installing MySql 5.1 notes

Using our MySql 5.1 install guide helps to get you up and running fast. We might include a 5.5 / 5.6 update at some point but i thought this note on re-installing might be of use to those who encounter reinstalling issues.

These notes are in reference to installing an established third party software program on apache-windows.

The Most important part of MySql setup is to record your username/passwords when you first setup MySql. Nothing can test or use the database without this (i would still ignore all VC9 versions until after you get it all working, there are still things that are not VC9 compatible and this side-steps any potential issue. Php 5.3.6 for windows is only moderately open source because not all of the files required to compile the windows source code are easily accessible at this time. So, this means not all can easily compile their own VC6 version yet either).

Your error appears to be that you did not include the correct username password for MySql. And because MySql was not removed properly (not your fault), MySql was not re-installed properly, so just having the right user/pass might not have fixed the problem anyway.

Yes, use windows add-remove first and then you will also need to remove the left over files/folders for both 5.5. and/or 5.1 manually. You will find that these folders still exist. Delete them if there is nothing in your database or move them somewhere else for now if there is anything in them you think you might need later. You can also do a full search for my.ini to make sure the ini file is gone or moved. I would probably re-boot after these steps just to be sure there is no lingering configuration data in memory.

When you get rid of MySql completely, it will re-install like a first time installation. Yes, the custom setup guide displays the windows in a different in order. This gives more control to the installation process and is better to use.

You can also ignore extra developer options in fig. 04, no-one needs these for normal database use. Only useful for developers.

Official VC9 Apache downloads

An interesting question came up today regarding where on the Apache site does one get the official VC9 build.

Most that ask this question would be new Http Server Setup users looking to install VC9 Php 5.3.6 or VC9 Php 5.3.8 with VC9 Apache 2.2.17 or Apache 2.2.19.

Now that query actually had me stumped because i am pretty sure our latest Php 5.3.6 install guide pretty much answers this question with solutions quite adequately.

But here was this question from a purely apache point of view. And our Apache 2.2.17 install guide or Apache 2.2.19 install guide is pretty darn good too. But yes, it didn't quite answer this fully. So I have made an amendment to the apache install guide which now includes a link so that you can check in case this ever changes, but for now, the only official Apache for Windows downloads are the VC6 version downloads.

You can also download official apache 2.2.17 / apache 2.2.19 through our apache install guide or access non-official Apache VC9 versions through our newer php install guides.

And by official we mean the x86 32 bit binaries as provided by willing Apache Software Foundation community members and are available for download from the official apache website.

And this means that if you want to use official Apache software, you should look to install Php Version 5.3.5 (or earlier) as Php, with malice aforethought, did not release a 5.3.6 VC6 update with this or any other new release. See our newer PHP guides to learn where to download the VC9 Versions which work with the newer PHP releases.

Get Apache HTTP Server 2.2 Docs

Apache HTTP Server 2.2 Official Documentation Volume I
Server Administration

Apache HTTP Server 2.2 Official Documentation Volume II
Security and Server Programs

Apache HTTP Server 2.2 Official Documentation Volume III
Modules A-H

Apache HTTP Server 2.2 Official Documentation Volume IV
Modules I-V