While writing my article on configuring Eclipse for PHP in Windows for my Ulitzer (http://kenfogel.ulitzer.com) page I encountered a problem with the WampServer. Initially WampServer would start up properly and work for a while. But after using the Restart All Services a few times because of changes to php.ini or to add a new alias, the Apache server would no longer start. Worse yet, rebooting the system had no effect. Once Apache failed the only way to resolve it was to reinstall WampServer. Ugh!
I know the problem is likely a changed configuration file and probably unique to the Windows environment. So far the problem has occurred on a Vista 64 and a Vista 32 system. I just wanted a fast solution and I found one. Start the Apache server directly with httpd.exe.
As I wrote in my article, my WampServer is installed in the directory c:\wamp. To start Apache navigate to the folder containing httpd.exe and double click on it. On my system that is in: C:\wamp\bin\apache\Apache2.2.11\bin
You could even create a shortcut to it on your desktop. When started, a command window will open. As long as the window is opened the Apache server is running. Close the window and Apache shuts down.
Now at my leisure I will try and find the real cause of the problem.