Installing PHP 5.6 for Windows 7 using Web Platform Installer

 Web Platform Installer is one of my favorite programs that I often use. It has an extensive list of products and applications that you can download and install. It also shows if the product has already been installed on the computer as sometimes you may forget what you installed (version, etc) . It not only installs a program but all the required/dependent programs as well. For example IIS on my computer has many items installed and if needed I can install the others by just looking at this list.

 

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Here are some latest Tools (Aug-Sep2015) from WPI5.0:

WPI_01

Herein I describe installing PHP 5.6 for Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 starting from the Web Platform Installer 5.0

Installing PHP using Windows Platform Installer (wpilauncher.exe) gives you instant access to working with PHP. In this post Web Platform Installer version 5.0 was used to install PHP version 5.6

Step 1: Download Web Platform Installer, the version used here is 5.0. After launching the WebPI search for php as shown. This has the latest products/services/programs for web platform.

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Step 2: Click on PHP 5.6.0 (9/7/2014).  On Windows 7 (x64) Ultimate you do have IIS and not IIS Express.

Click Add button and click Install at the bottom of the window.

Note the items to be installed by clicking the link at the bottom. The following window is displayed showing 3 items should you decide to install.

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Step 3: Close the item list window. Click Install. The previous window appears as shown with more controls.

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Here you need to accept license terms.

Step 4: Click I Accept. Install begins and a number of required items are installed showing progress as shown.
Microsoft ODBC Driver 11 for SQL Server.
Microsoft Drivers 3.2 for PHP  v5.6 for SQLServer
Installing Php5.3.28(?)
PHP Manager for IIS
Installing PHP 5.6.0

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After a while you get the Finish window showing installed products as shown:

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Step 5: Click Finish on Web Platform Installer 5.0.
You are done.

Launch the Internet Information Services and you see that Web Platform Installer is added to the Managemen Section.

If you were to run a PHP file such as phpinfo.php you will run into this error:

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Now open Programs & Features in Control Panel. Click Turn on/off window programs to turn on:
The following window gets displayed:

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The node for CGI is not checked. This is needed to work with IIS.  Place check mark for CGI and Click OK.

Microsoft Windows MSG appears that it is making changes. This may run for quite sometime depending on your computer.

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After sometime the Microsoft Windows MSG goes away.

Now try to bring up phpinfo.php in your browser in the IIS window and Presto! PHP now can be processed by the IIS using the FastCgiModule (only part of page shown here).

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Notice that the "Handler Mappings" now has PHP-Via_FastCGI and PHP53_via_FastCGI

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Notice that you have FastCGIModule in Add Module Mappings list:

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Good Luck, that's all.