PHP and Apache!?!? Please someone help me!

[Sophist]

Ok newb here and ill try to give the info need to figure this out. Im trying to set up php on Apache i don't exactly know what im doing wrong but I've been researching this for 2 day's now so i figured id ask in here see what happens.

Now I've installed MySQL and Apache with no trouble whatsoever so i know the problem is not there. Its when i get to installing PHP file i get a bit confused with exactly what file to move and change.

I do know this

That the php.ini needs to be somewhere i assumed in the C:\php (the directory extracted to)

That the Httpd.conf needs to be altered with
something like this:
LoadModule php5_module "c:/php/php5apache2.dll"
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php

Now when i do put those strings into the httpd.conf i know where the loadmodule goes and the addtype i think is supposed to be under # AddType allows you to add to or override the MIME configuration

file specified in TypesConfig for specific file types.

#
#AddType application/x-gzip .tgz
#AddType application/x-httpd-php .php .html

I should ask at this point seeing as i am a newb removing the "#" will activate it correct? im sure i got this right but just wanna make sure as im trying to figure this out so and answers help as we all know. And in relation to that when i past the two lines in the httpd.conf fill and dont have them there the server wont even start. Seems odd seeing that everyone seems to be saying to do that.and yes the directory for php is C:\php i tryed to make it as simple as possible.

But im not sure also ive seen something about:

configure the path to php.ini

PHPIniDir "C:/php"

and havent figured out where that would go or if they are just refering to adding C:\php to the "PATH"

The Book i have Sams i guess has the installation wrong or so i read in other posts so im looking to set it up right so i can progress with trying to learn this stuff.

Not that i haven't in the process of trying to figure this out but id like to concentrate on the manual I'm trying to follow.

Please any help anyone can provide would be apreceated.

[bradgrafelman]

First of all, what version of Apache are you using?

I add all of the stuff for PHP after the large LoadModule section. Here's what it looks like (for me):

LoadModule php4_module "C:/php/php4apache2.dll"
PHPIniDir "C:/php"
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php3
AddType application/x-httpd-php .php4
AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps

Obviously you'd replace the PHP4 stuff with PHP5 references.

If you've done all of this, what happens? If Apache doesn't start, what error message does it give you? Have you followed the steps in these two manual pages: [man]install.windows.manual[/man] and [man]install.windows.apache2[/man] ?

[Houdini]

Time for XAMPP. Just go and click the last link in my signature and then download and install XAMPP and you will be done with it all.

Hint the link is Get XAMPP for all OS's HERE