How Microsoft caused apache & php_mysql.dll to fail…using VISTA (dwmApi.dll)
The Background
Last week I discovered I had quite a few viruses etc.. on my laptop. So I needed to reformat the hard-drive and re-install WindowsXP before I started my new job.
Now before I did all this, I made sure I had a complete back-up of everything off the machine. NB: this is my main development machine… it is a very nice HP laptop.
Before I did this, I had a very nice fully working development environment, i.e.: Cygwin, IDEs, Java VM (1.4/1.5/1.6), mySQL, all my tools, compilers, disassemblers, apache 2, php 5, remote access etc…
So WHY…. did PHP5 refuse to work when I re-installed it today….?!!!
Well, sit back and I will tell you a story of detective work and a serious mistake that seems to have got through to cause me and others, a huge problem.
The Story
I needed to re-install a php environment today, so I could test the environment I am recommending to my current client.
So I copied everything back on my machine, ran a quick command line PHP test (which worked) and tried to start apache…. and it FAILED… with:
PHP Warning: PHP Startup: Unable to load dynamic library ‘C:\\_dev\\php5\\ext\\php_mysql.dll’
Considering it had worked on the command line, I thought this was a little strange. But config issues are normal, so… it needed a little work. I am quite used to this, having done it far too many time over too many years.
Over the next FOUR hours… I re-installed apache twice, PHP twice, rebooted a few times and re-ran the configuration at least four times.
NONE OF IT WORKED…
I still had php alone working fine, but php through apache failing… with a message that simply made no sense.
So now I started to get frustrated and went hunting on google..
The Chase
After a while, I found a few forum threads that talked about using Dependency Walker to see what php_mysql.dll actually needed, and why it should be failing.. So I downloaded the software and checked it out.
Dependency Walker immediately reported a failure in the dependencies. DwmAPI.dll.
Ok, that seems a little odd…
So, off I went back to google to see what I could find out.
It turns out that DwmAPI.dll is a Desktop Windows Manager API… and after a load more research I found out… for Windows VISTA…!!!!
Now I was pissed.
The Fury
Some idiot had compiled a dependency to the wrong operating system into one of my tools.
At least I now had a culprit… all I had to do was track down the criminal.
AND GUESS WHAT…. it was Internet Explorer 7.
Look at the tree… DwmAPI.dll is a dependency of IEFRAME.dll, which I recently gained, when I decided to bite the bullet and install IE7.
What a £$%&ing mistake that was…
So now I was even more pissed off.
I had spent hours debugging to find an error that should never have existed from the people who created the operating system I depended on.
At least I should be able to fix it.
The Fix
Well, on that point I can at least put one happy note forward.
IE7 uninstalled in 5 minutes… I rebooted… I started apache… I checked the error log files and….. IT WORKED…!
And just to prove a point…
Here is the Dependency Walker result after I had un-installed IE7.
And the moral of this story…..
IE7, PHP, Apache and the word NOT features quite heavily.
… you work it out. :->
But… this has been enough of a serious headache to make me think about ditching windows for a *nix machine. Either OSx or Linux.
Considering I have been a windows(less than fanatical) user for quite a while, mainly due to client pressure… it is ironic that the systems I use to develop and now being pushed off machines that keep me using their software…
To Microsoft:
VERY POOR SHOW…
You have created a bug that makes the primary web development environment crash. And you have done it with your browser.. something the same web developers really need to install for testing.
I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED.
Were I a more paranoid type… I would be suggesting this was deliberate.
FIX IT. NOW.
