WampServer

I am running the WAMP (64bits & PHP 5.5) server on my 64-bit Windows 7 Home Premium desktop, and have come to the realization that I must downgrade the WAMP server I am running to be a 32-bit system with PHP 5.4.

Three questions:

(1) What URL will take me to a place where I can download the 32-bit PHP 5.4 WAMP server?

(2) Before installing that version of WAMP server, is it correct to open the Control Panel => Uninstall a program and uninstall the WAMP server that way?

(3) Am I correct that doing that will leave all of my MySQL databases intact?

Thank you.

Hi Len,

First and formost, ALWAYS backup your databases, regardless of what any tutorial says when doing anything that has the remotest possibility of causing problems to your databases! MySQL databases are 64bit/32bit agnostic but a backup is always your Get Out Of Jail Free Card.


Almost all versions of WAMPServer can be downloaded from Here on SourceForge

WAMPServer 32bit vs 64bit:
I would always recommend using the 32 bit version of WAMPServer, the 64bit is really only for geeks to play with. As PHP has not been completely ported to 64bit yet, as is still labeled as EXPERIMENTAL on the php site. Also it is so much easier to get 32bit extensions as quite a few of them have not and probably will not be converted to 64bit until PHP is a complete 64bit port.

I am not sure if you are aware, but one of WAMPServer best features is that you can have multiple versions of Apache/PHP/MySQL all available at the same time, and just switch between version at will.

So can I suggest you installed the 32bit version of WAMPServer 2.5 ( Available from links on the wampserver.com homepage )

Then manually install PHP5.4.33, this was compiled with VC9 and should run with Apache 2.4.x


Some useful reading before you embark on this process would be :-

Sticky post Installing a new release of WAMPServer

And here is a tutorial on how to Manually install a PHP version




HOW TO MANUALLY INSTALL A NEW RELEASE OF PHP INTO THE WAMP ENVIRONMENT

Before you start

On Apache and PHP you will see the acronyms VC6, VC9, VC10 or VC11. This denotes the compiler version used to compile that program or dll.
Unfortunately you cannot mix the two when it comes to Apache and PHP as it is configured in WAMPServer, although some docuentation suggestst that VC10 and VC11 are compatible with each other, I make no guarantee of this.
So first you must find out which compiler was used to compile the Apache you are currently using, so you can get the PHP that was compiled with the same version of the compiler.
As time goes on this becomes more complicated as newer versions of PHP are not being compiled and linked with older versions of the compilers. VC6 seems to have been dropped a little while ago. So if you want to use a new PHP you will probably have to upgrade your version of Apache as well so you have a version that is compiled with at least VC9



The way PHP and Apache interact in the default WAMPServer install is that Apache launches the PHP Interpereter as a dll (php5apachex_y.dll) as this is a very close relationship i.e. not communication via a TCP port like PHP and MySQL, so they both have to have been compiled using the same version of Microsoft Visual C Compiler.


1. From WampManager "Stop All Services".

2. Download the PHP Release you want to install from HERE or if its not a current release from The Acrhives
You should use the Thread Safe build. Usually the Not Thread Safe version has the acronim NTS and the thread safe version does not.
You should download the ZIP and not an .msi
Make sure its built with the same compiler versions as you Apache ( VC6 / VC9 / VC10 / VC11 ),
yes its a mine field. But if you are using WAMPServer 2.4 or > then you want the VC11 Thread Safe version.

3. Create a new folder under c:\wamp\bin\php\ with the name = the version you are installing
So, for example, make a folder called php5.5.11.



4. Now from the folder containing your most recent ( and working ) verions of PHP copy the file called wampserver.conf and paste it into your new PHP folder created in the previous setp.
This file is required by wamp server to properly identify that this is a valid PHP version folder.
The file contains references to the names of the dll files that contain the PHP interpreter, so that the correct file can be copied to the Apache folder when you activate this new version of the PHP interpreter.

The file should look like this, if you are moving from a very old version of PHP you may need to add some new sections from here to your file.

<?php

$phpConf['phpIniDir'] = '.';
$phpConf['phpExeDir'] = '.';
$phpConf['phpConfFile'] = 'php.ini';


$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['LoadModuleName'] = 'php5_module';
$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['LoadModuleFile'] = 'php5apache2_2.dll';
$phpConf['apache']['2.2']['AddModule'] =  '';

$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['LoadModuleName'] = 'php5_module';
$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['LoadModuleFile'] = 'php5apache2_4.dll';
$phpConf['apache']['2.4']['AddModule'] =  '';

?>

5. Now unzip the downloaded PHP into your new folder, make sure the folder hierarchy looks like this.





6. Now in your new folder copy the file php.ini_development into a new file called php.ini




Do the same again but paste into a file called phpForApache.ini
You should now have the original file called php.ini_development PLUS 2 more, one called php.ini and one called phpForApache.ini

The php.ini file is used if you are using the PHP CLI i.e. running php from the command line > php script.php
The phpForApache.ini is the php config used by Apache. This file is copied into the currently active Apache's folder and renamed to php.ini by WAMPmaneger when you activate this version of PHP.

It should look something like this:




7. We must now make some change to the php.ini files to WAMPise them. Take your time here it will save you time later.

Edit the newly created phpForApache.ini file

Search for extension_dir and change to
extension_dir = "d:/wamp/bin/php/phpx.y.z/ext/" <- where x,y,z match the folder you are putting the new PHP into.

Search for ;error_log = php_errors.log and change to
error_log = c:\wamp\logs\php_errors.log
Search for anything 'php/' and make sure you change it to you c:\wamp\bin\php\php.x.y.z folder name.

In fact search for anything with a C:\ in it and make sure its chnaged to the WAMPServer equivalent.

As of PHP5.4 the timezone need to be set
Search for [Date] and put an entry into the date.timezone field as a minimum

date.timezone = "Europe/London"
date.default_latitude = 0.0
date.default_longitude = 51.502973

look here for a list of supported timezone values [www.php.net]

PHP5.5 specific changes
a. All the PHP extensions are commented out, so you need to manually uncomment at least some of them
Check your last used php.ini to see what you need, remember some extensions may have been included in the core of php so you may need to check the php change log for details.


Now there may well be other configuration changes you had made to your existing PHP, these you will have to find and transfer yourself.
I suggest you compare your last \wamp\bin\apache\apachex.y.z\bin\php.ini with this new one and move over anything you believe is relevant.

DONT FORGET, if you are using the PHP CLI you will also need to do this to the php.ini file as well.

8. Make sure all services are stopped in wampmanager, and then right click over the wamp manager icon in the system tray and select the 'refresh' menu item.
When you left click on wamp manager -> PHP -> Version you should see your new version in the list.

If the new version does not appear, then you have probably spelt the phpForApache.ini file name wrong. Correct it and redo the 'refresh'.

9. You can now 'restart all services' from the wamp manager menus.

NOTE: You have not actually changed anything yet, so if wamp,Apache,PHP etc were working before they still should be.

10. Activate your new PHP version.
Using the wamp manager menus again you just need to click on the new version number to activate it.
wamp manager -> PHP -> Version -> 5.5.11 ( <- or whatever the version number is you have just added )

This will cause wamp manager to stop Apache ( the icon will go Orange )
Copy the correct files from the PHP folder to the Apache folder
php5apachex_y.dll, the php interpreter dll used by Apache
phpForApache.ini the php config file
etc

And then restart Apache. So the wamp manager icon should go GREEN again.

If the wamp manager icon stays ORANGE, then you have missed something, probably a file name spelt wrong. The phpForApache.ini file must exists.

11. Now run localhost from the wamp manager menu, and check the wamp server home page. It should tell you which version of PHP is loaded.





TROUBLE SHOOTING
If it all goes wrong when you activate the new PHP, you can easily back out of trouble by just activating whatever version of PHP you were using before, and then going back to see what you did wrong.


ADDING IONCUBE

You must ensure that you download the correct version to match your PHP :-
compiler( VC6/VC9/VC11 etc ) compiled ionCube dll
correct 32 or 64 bit code
and the Thread Safe version which is the one that is not NON-TS


1. Download the correct ionCube loader from [www.ioncube.com]
2. Place it somewhere on your disk, but not in the WAMP folder.
for example c:\webstuff\ioncube\vc9\
2. Edit the new php.ini Using the wamp manager menus
Add these 2 lines at the bottom of the file.
Remember the version you load will depend upon which MAJOR version of PHP you are using i.e. 5.2,5.3 or 5.4

NOTE on IONCUBE and PHP5.5
Ioncube for PHP5.5 is not yet released as of 13/09/2013, they say they are waiting for PHP 5.5 to become stable and secure and hosting providers to adopt PHP 5.5 before they release their upgrade. They comment that it can take a year or more for hosting companies to adopt new versions of PHP and this I guess is their schedule.

;ioncube Extension
zend_extension = "c:/webstuff/ioncube/vc9/ioncube_loader_win_5.5.dll"

ADDING XDEBUG
XDEBUG comes with WAMP Server and is incredibly useful for debugging CLI or WEB scripts.
But it does not come with the PHP you have downloaded from the PHP website.
When upgrading PHP to a major version release you may need to get an up to date version of xdebug from

http://xdebug.org/download.php

For a minor version upgrade you can probably use the existing xdebug version you already have on disk.

So for a minor PHP version upgrade, copy the folder c:\wamp\bin\php\php5.y.z\zend_ext from your old PHP to your new php folder.
For a major PHP version upgrade get a new dll from the xdebug website and put it in a newly created folder called c:\wamp\bin\php\php5.y.z\zend_ext

Now add a line like this ( version specific of course ) to your php.ini ( using the wamp manager menus, to ensure you are editing the correct file )

;XDEBUG Extension
zend_extension = "d:/wamp/bin/php/phpx.y.z/zend_ext/php_xdebug-2.2.2-5.3-vc9.dll"

[xdebug]
xdebug.remote_enable = off
xdebug.profiler_enable = off
xdebug.profiler_enable_trigger = off
xdebug.profiler_output_name = cachegrind.out.%t.%p
xdebug.profiler_output_dir = "d:/wamp/tmp"



If you have any more question feel free to ask.

Regards

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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-

WOW!! What a complete response!! And so quick!

I will follow these instructions line by line.

Thank you very much.

Its not my first rodeo!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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-

Sorry to bother you again, but I realize I am confused on one point. You mde the following recommendation:



So can I suggest you installed the 32bit version of WAMPServer 2.5 ( Available from links on the wampserver.com homepage )

Then manually install PHP5.4.33, this was compiled with VC9 and should run with Apache 2.4.x



In the detailed instructions for manually installing a different version of PHP, it says:



2. Download the PHP Release you want to install from HERE or if its not a current release from The Acrhives
You should use the Thread Safe build. Usually the Not Thread Safe version has the acronim NTS and the thread safe version does not.
You should download the ZIP and not an .msi
Make sure its built with the same compiler versions as you Apache ( VC6 / VC9 / VC10 / VC11 ),
yes its a mine field. But if you are using WAMPServer 2.4 or > then you want the VC11 Thread Safe version.



It's the last sentence there that has me confused. It says one must make sure that the compiler used to make the PHP is the same as that used to make the Apache server.

The 32-bit version of WAMP server 2.5 was compiled with VC11. The compiler for PHP 5.4.33 is VC9.

Dare I mix those two compiled versions?

Thanks again.

According to the Microsoft manual code compiled with VC11 will run modules compiled with VC9 & VC10 so yes you can mix those 2 sets of compiled code.

I just checked it here and they do run together.

Thanks for pointing that out I will update my totorial.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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 hope this is my last question for you on this topic.

In the detailed instructions for loading another version of PHP, Paragraph 10 reads:



10. Activate your new PHP version.
Using the wamp manager menus again you just need to click on the new version number to activate it.
wamp manager -> PHP -> Version -> 5.5.11 ( <- or whatever the version number is you have just added )

This will cause wamp manager to stop Apache ( the icon will go Orange )
Copy the correct files from the PHP folder to the Apache folder
php5apachex_y.dll, the php interpreter dll used by Apache
phpForApache.ini the php config file
etc

And then restart Apache. So the wamp manager icon should go GREEN again.



When I clicked on the new version of PHP, I do believe that that way sufficient to cause the copying over of all needed files (viz., dll files and the php.ini file) from the 'php' folder over to the 'apache' folder. It also caused the restarting of the servers, so that there was no need for me to copy any files nor did I have to then restart Apache. It was all done automatically as soon as I clicked on the new version number.

Everything appears to be working as it should.

So my question for you is: "Was there still some copying and restarting of servers that I should have done?"

Thank you so much for all this help. I have learned a lot from this back and forth with you and from the instructions you have given me.

Oh!! One more request -- when you finalize your instructions, could you please send them to me?

You are right it all happens automatically now, when you click the version number. The tutorial is a bit old now obviously.

Also now rather than copy files it creates SYMLINKS.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(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-