PROBLEM: When Windows starts/boots, the Apache service does not start and reports the error (not in Apache error log, but in Windows management error log). PROBLEM: When attempting to start the service for the first time in a Windows session from the Apache Monitor (running in system tray), there is a UAC prompt requesting to Allow/Cancel the request. Then a dialog box shows "The requested operation has failed". Curiously, this only occurs for the Start of a stopped Apache service; Restart of an existing service does not fail. The following errors are reported at the same time, although the first two are in this order in the system log: CompManag->EventViewer->Windows Logs->System: Level: Error Event ID: 7024 Source: Service Control Manager Eventlog Provider Detail: The ApacheHttpd service terminated with service-specific error 1 (0x1). CompManag->EventViewer->Windows Logs->System: Level: Information Event ID: 7036 Source: Service Control Manager Eventlog Provider Detail: The ApacheHttpd service entered the stopped state. CompManag->EventViewer->Windows Logs->Application: Level: Error Event ID: 3299 Source: Apache Service Detail: The Apache service named reported the following error: >>> (20024)The given path is misformatted or contained invalid characters: Invalid config file path "C:/Users/joeUser/AppData/Roaming/Apache/httpd.conf" . QUESTIONS: 1. There must a way to configure the Start shortcut and Apache Monitor system task so that they are run without UAC prompting. How is that done? 2. How do I eliminate the problem (a) the Apache service not starting at system boot and (b) the Apache Monitor failing to start the service (after UAC allowance)? 3. How can the Application log error indicate an "invalid config file path" when it is the same as the Start shortcut (see info below), which works? Note that pathname separator character is forward slash '/' (Unix-style) rather than unescaped backward slash '\' (Windows style). Note the background & other info below are in case there are any other questions as to what is going on. ==== BACKGROUND and OTHER INFO ===== Operating environment is Vista Home Prem (SP2). The "Start" shortcut (which works, but only after UAC prompting) is: "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\bin\httpd.exe" -w -f "C:/Users/joeUser/AppData/Roaming/Apache/httpd.conf" -n "ApacheHttpd" -k start The "Apache Monitor" shortcut (which does not work, even after UAC prompting) is: "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\bin\ApacheMonitor.exe" The "Restart" shortcut also works: "C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\bin\httpd.exe" -w -n "ApacheHttpd" -k restart -f "C:/Users/joeUser/AppData/Roaming/Apache/httpd.conf" I have long ago installed Apache 2.2.11 (Win32) in its default configuration but became very annoyed at not being able to modify httpd.conf because of Vista UAC, which I keep in place because in principle, with Microsoft products, it is probably BETTER to keep it enabled rather than disabled. On my system it is installed as a service. So what I did was to move large parts of the directory tree for updatable/modifiable files to where they really belong in the Windows filesystem: C:\users\joeUser\AppData\Roaming\Apache Under this directory is * httpd.conf file * cgi-bin directory * conf directory * error directory * icons directory * logs directory * manual directory * modules directory Note that the server is started from its installation directory: C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\bin\httpd.exe The relevant modifications to httpd.conf as part of this movement are: ServerRoot "C:/Users/joeUser/AppData/Roaming/Apache" --------------------------------------------------------------------- The official User-To-User support forum of the Apache HTTP Server Project. See <URL:http://httpd.apache.org/userslist.html> for more info. To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx " from the digest: users-digest-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx For additional commands, e-mail: users-help@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx