Apache Web Server Not Starting

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This blog post is about how to download and install XAMPP for windows as well as here i’m discussing what are the problems people are facing when starting the Apache server. First let’s look at how to download and install XAMPP.

1.Download XAMPP for windows

I was editing my site today with beaver builder when suddenly my site crashed and when I refreshed I got This site can’t be reached. 127.0.0.1 refused to connect. I went onto my bitnami control. When starting the service fails giving errors referring to files located in either /etc/apache2 or /etc/httpd/, the system had trouble reading the service configuration files. Apache2 comes with some handy tools for file integrity and syntax checks that can help in locating.

  • Before start downloading XAMPP, you have to uninstall the virus protection software installed in your machine. Otherwise XAMPP download will be failed by such virus scanning software. You can install your PC’s virus scanning software again after downloading and installation of XAMPP.
  • Then go to www.apachefriends.org/download.html.
  • Under the XAMPP for windows section, click on the download button appears in-front of the XAMPP version you want to download.
  • Then the executable file will be downloaded.
2. Installing XAMPP on your machine

Follow the below instructions to install XAMPP without any issues.

  1. First you need to uninstall Skype if it has installed on your machine. Otherwise port issues will arise mostly when starting the Apache server. But you can install Skype again after this installation.
  2. Secondly you need to disable the function of “User Account Control (UAC)” on your windows machine. However they have warned us that “Disabling UAC will lead to a less secure system”. Otherwise you will get the following message from XAMPP when you are trying to install it.
ServerWeb

“Important! Because an activated User Account Control (UAC) on your system some functions of XAMPP are possibly restricted. With UAC please avoid to intall XAMPP to C:Program Files (missing write permissions). Or deactivate UAC with msconfig after this setup.”

According to the instruction they had given, follow the below steps to deactivate UAC.

  • Start Menu –> Control Panel.
  • In the Control Panel search box just type ‘User Account Control’.
  • Then click on “Change User Account Control Settings”.
  • In this User Account Control Settings Form you will find a slider that controls the level of notification messages you want when changes are done to your computer.
  • It is safe to leave your PC settings at the level above disabling, which is, “Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer” and not to disable this UAC messages completely.
  • Then go ahead and install XAMPP.
  • So far there hasn’t been any problem for me even though i kept the slider at the level above disabling the UAC and I’m able to do my PHP programming without any issues.
3. Issues when starting Apache server
  • After successful installation of the XAMPP, Go to the XAMPP control panel.
  • Click on start button appears in-front of the Apache server.
  • Sometimes you will see the following error message on the XAMPP control panel even though you have done all the steps above correctly and the Apache server won’t start.
Versions

In such cases you have to change the ports that Apache server is trying to run on.
Follow the below steps to change ports.

  • Go to the XAMPP control panel.
  • Click on ‘config’ button in-front of the Apache server. Then you’ll see a list of files.
  • Select the first file from the list – Apache(httpd.conf)
Apache web server not starting xampp ubuntu 20.04
  • Open httpd.conf and press Ctrl+F to find the places having port 80 in the file. Change the uncommented lines with port 80 to port 8080.
Apache web server not starting xampp ubuntu 20.04
  • Save the file after changing those 2 lines in the httpd.conf file .
  • Then click the ‘config’ button appears in-front of the Apache server on the XAMPP control panel again and select the second file from the list – Apache(httpd-ssl.conf)
  • Open the ‘Apache(httpd-ssl.conf)’ file and press Ctrl+F to find the lines having port 443 in the file. Change the uncommented lines with port 443 to port 4433.
  • Save the ‘httpd-ssl.conf’ file after changing the above 3 lines.
  • Now you can start the Apache server without having any errors.
  • Since you have changed the Apache server’s default port, the port number should be mentioned in the localhost URL on the browser window. Otherwise page not found error will arise.

http://localhost:8080/phpmyadmin/

This way you can easily download and install the XAMPP on your windows machine and also you can start the Apache server with no errors. Post your ideas, any suggestions or any questions below.

Apache Web Server Not Starting Xampp Linux

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