WampServer

Version of Operating system? Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Version of Wamp Server installed? 2.5
Version of Apache you are running? 2.4.9
Version of MySQL you are running? 5.6.17
Version of PHP you are running? 5.5.12
WampManager Icon is Green
Yes I have a HOSTS File
Confused on "Paste any entries relating to the domain localhost and also any relating to your Virtual Hosts if you have any.", I can paste my httpd-vhosts and httpd configs if needed.

I am attempting to run a live website using WAMP from my home computer and after

-registering a domain (namecheap)
-getting the DNS pointing to my public ip
-opening port 80 on my firewall
-adding domain name to the HOSTS file (not sure about)
-allowing vhosts and putting down the info in httpd-vhosts (not sure about)

I can access the domain I registered through a computer on a separate network online but it just leads me to the localhosts page with the domain in the url (www.xxxxxx.com), however trying to navigate to one of my projects changes the url from www.xxxxxx.com to localhosts/xxxx/ and gives me a 403 permissions error. Using the local computer I am redirected the the localhosts/xxxx/ page with no problem. I am testing using "Magento CE" on WAMP and I linked the Magento sample page to the vhosts. I uninstalled/reinstalled WAMP and tested single "hello world" pages with log folders. I am definitely getting requests over the internet and the DNS seems to be redirecting from the www.xxxxxx.com to my public ip just fine, it seems to be a permissions error. I played around in the httpd config file with different combinations of "Allow from all" "Require all granted" "Order deny,allow" to no avail (I have been resetting WAMP after each try, also I don't feel too save opening everything up like that). Even if it managed to work I would have no idea how it did and this is mostly a learning experience for me. It seems possible to host the Magento sample page over the internet but I do not know how. Googling around is a challenge because most of it seems to be targeting dev environments/local hosting and saying WAMP is not recommended for live hosting.

My main goal would be to host a live website from home (for experience and knowledge, can look into purchasing a separate ISP plan if there are legal issues). I plan on trying out an eCommerce type store, hence the Magento. Any advice will be great and I would love to know if WAMP is the right tool for this or not. Thank you for your time.

p.s also how do people use server towers/racks to host websites and stuff? Do they run Apache on it, it kinda just looks like a giant pile of hard drives and some processors thrown in for some reason. Do they permanently hook it up to a computer to set it up, how does the OS work?

WAMPServer is not recommended to be used as a LIVE SERVER on a desktop Windows OS.

Its an extremely useful development tool.

Its just too difficult to secure an environment like a Windows Desktop which afterall was designed to be usable by people with the most limited knowledge of PC's and Operating systems, and therefore is designed to give access to almost everything rather than deny access to stuff.

That said:

Post your httpd-vhosts.conf file or if you dont want the world to see it send it to me as a Private Message.

The most likely problem is in there

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(Windows 10 Pro 64bit) (Wampserver 3.3.4 64bit) Aestan Tray Menu 3.2.5.4
<Apache versions MULTIPE> <PHP versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Versions MULTIPLE>
<MariaDB versions MULTIPLE> <phpMyAdmin versions MULTIPLE> <MySQL Workbench 8.0.23>
Read The Manuals Apache -- MySQL -- PHP -- phpMyAdmin
Get your Apache/MySQL/mariaDB/PHP ADDONs here from the WAMPServer alternate Repo
-X-X-X- Backup your databases regularly Here is How dont regret it later! Yes even when developing -X-X-X-

I sent you a pm with my httpd-vhosts.conf file.

Hi, I wonder which Magento CE Version that you used with WAMP 2.5?