Question 1

USB Apache: install and run your first PHP project

Accepted Answer

USB Apache bundles Apache and PHP for Windows x64. It is free to download and does not need a fred.my account to run. Your computer runs the server; a USB drive can carry the app and projects.

Open USB Apache and download the Windows ZIP.
Extract the whole ZIP to a USB drive or a folder on your computer. Do not run it from inside the ZIP.
Put your PHP, HTML and assets in the www folder. For example, www/demo/index.php is a separate project.
Run USB-Apache.exe and start Apache.
Open the localhost URL shown in the app. With the default port, your demo is at http://localhost:8080/demo/.

Moving…

Question 2

USB Apache: change PHP versions and server settings

Accepted Answer

Open USB Apache settings to select an installed PHP version. In the PHP versions section you can download supported official Windows x64 Thread Safe builds. Installing another version needs Internet access; installed versions remain on your USB drive and work offline.

Stop Apache before changing the selected runtime.
Open the PHP versions section, choose a supported release and let its download and SHA-256 verification finish.
Select the installed version in PHP settings, save and start Apache again.
Use the server and PHP settings to adjust port, memory, upload limit, execution time, timezo…

Question 3

USB Apache: localhost, LAN and Internet access

Accepted Answer

Choose Localhost for access on your own computer, LAN for devices on the same network, or WAN when you intend to accept Internet connections. The Network section shows the relevant connection URLs.

For LAN, select LAN mode, save and restart Apache. Use the computer LAN address and configured port on another device connected to the same network.
Allow the configured port through Windows Firewall for the intended network.
For WAN, configure router port forwarding to the server computer and confirm you have a reachable public IPv4 address.
Test the public address from another Internet connectio…

Question 4

USB Apache: check local and Internet ports

Accepted Answer

Use Network & ports in USB Apache to test the configured port. A local TCP check works offline. Check from Internet needs Internet access and the fred.my port-check service.

Start Apache first and check that its port matches the port you are testing.
If the local check works but the Internet check fails, review LAN/WAN mode, Windows Firewall, router forwarding and CGNAT.
If the service is unavailable, retry later; unavailable does not mean the port is closed.
Wait at least ten seconds between Internet checks. The service tests only the public IPv4 address of the caller, not an arbitrary …

Question 5

USB Apache: updates, changelog and SHA-256

Accepted Answer

Use the update check in USB Apache or open the official changelog and downloads. The updater offers the highest published Stable version; Beta, drafts and future releases are excluded. No update is offered when your app version is already current.

Read the release notes, download the official ZIP and stop Apache.
Back up your existing folder, especially www, data and runtime/php-versions if present.
Extract the new ZIP into a separate folder and copy your projects and required settings across carefully. Replacement is manual; the updater does not silently overwrite your projects.
Optionally …

Question 6

USB Apache: Apache will not start or localhost will not open

Accepted Answer

If Apache will not start, read the error shown by USB Apache and its server logs. Common causes include an occupied port, an unavailable PHP runtime or an incomplete ZIP extraction.

Stop any other local web server that uses the same port, or choose another port in settings.
Confirm that the selected PHP version is installed and the whole runtime folder is present.
Start Apache again and use the exact localhost URL and port displayed by the app.
Check that the requested file exists under www; a project in www/demo is opened under /demo/.
If localhost works but another device cannot connect, f…

Question 7

USB Apache: license keys, Free, Pro and Unlimited

Accepted Answer

Sign in with your fred.my account at My USB Apache license, then generate a Free license key. Keep the key private. One account has one key; replacing it invalidates the old key.
Desktop compatibility
The website supplies license verification and feature flags. An older desktop build without license support does not enforce these flags and does not gain MariaDB, phpMyAdmin or PHPMailer merely by generating a key. Use a compatible desktop release when available.

USB Apache

USB Apache

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