This article describes how to install an Apache webserver onto a Windows operating system.

    REQUIREMENTS

  1. A Windows operating system, such as Windows NT 4.0 or later.

  2. A Windows Apache binary distribution.

  3. Apache runs well on older operating systems with small amounts of memory (128MB of RAM). We noted recommendations by others to employ a Windows NT operating system over Windows 9x. We are not convinced that Windows NT ends up any more secure than any Windows 9x operating system.

  4. A little determination, a little understanding, and maybe a couple hours to install. The information provided here should get you well started and on your way!

Prepare For The Install

  1. First determine a folder to install Apache to. We recommend D:\Apache\ where D: represents any drive with alot of free disk space.

  2. Next, get ready to unzip the zipped archive. We recommend PowerArchiver for all your zipping and unzipping needs. They provide an outstanding software product with outstanding support. Unzip the archive into the Apache folder. PowerArchiver automatically creates the proper folders.

  3. When the files are finished unzipping, the folder layout consists of the following...

    Z:\Apache\1337\bin
Z:\Apache\1337\cgi-bin
Z:\Apache\1337\conf
Z:\Apache\1337\htdocs
Z:\Apache\1337\include
Z:\Apache\1337\lib
Z:\Apache\1337\libexec
Z:\Apache\1337\logs
Z:\Apache\1337\modules
Z:\Apache\1337\proxy
Z:\Apache\1337\users

    Note The Apache Installer (.msi) tends to install to C:\Program Files\Apache Group\. We recommend not using the installer, and Microsoft recommends installing to the "Program Files" folder. We, in particular do not like spaces in directory/folder names and it's beyond the scope of this document to go into the details about that.

  4. Now everything sits ready for the final configuration. We now configure Apache to run upon your system. To keep things simple, we start off with a registry file. You need to edit this particular file and configure the proper paths inside of it, before you double-click upon it and push it into your registry.