Install PHP5 On IIS7&Vista64

I haven't installed fastCgi, but it took me 2 days to get PHP running on

Vista X64 from bits and peices from different sites. I ended up using

system restore so that I could start over clean.

Here's what worked for me:

Installing PHP5 on IIS7 Vista 64

1. install 32 bit PHP with installer (I used php-5.2.5-win32-installer.msi)

to c:/PHP (I used this path)
   I selected custom install and included the following extensions;
   curl, gd2, mysql, mssql, tidy which I needed right away.
   Trying to install all the extension will fail due to other dependencies

not available on the machine.
   So now PHP is installed with php.ini already configured with the

extensions you need.
   You can save a back-up php.ini from another insatallation so that you

know what you need to configure.
   I already had mysql installed and had to use the version "mysql-5.0.45-

winx64" as the newer version would not run the configuration wizard.
 
3. Run the Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager 

4. Open the Handler Mappings icon from the main IIS Area

5. Click on “Add Script Map…”

    5.1 Set up handler mapping for Path:/PHP/php5isapi.dll on *.php files

and say "yes" to allow the ISAPI extension.
            Make sure the handler permissions allow execution of scripts.

    5.2 Go back and select "ISAPI & CGI Restrictions":
            Add an [allowed] ISAPI/CGI restriction for

Path:/PHP/php5isapi.dll (it should already be there if you you've added the

handler mappping first)
            and select "Allow path to execute"
            Right click the restriction afterwards and select "Edit Feature

settings" and check off both of the "allow unspecified modules" 
 
    5.3.Go back and click "ISAPI Filters" 
            Add an ISAPI Filter for php5isapi.dll ( i skipped this and it

still works but it might be needed for some extionsion that I didn't

install)

6. Right click on the Application Pool that you want to run PHP on and

select “Advanced Settings…”
    or select the same from the Actions pane after selecting the

Application pool
    Change the “Enable 32-bit Applications” to True (if you want the

application pool to spawn in a 32-bit mode)
    Click OK

7. Go to My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Environmental Variables

->
    Under System Variables, add ";C:/php" (or your path) if not already

there to the end of the path

8. Add IniFilePath to the registry (or save this as a .reg file and run):

    Windows Registry Editor 5.0

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Wow6432Node/php]
    "IniFilePath"="C://php"

    THis fix worked so that PHP would load my php.ini from the php folder.
    Even when I left it to the default (c:/windows) and copied the .ini

file there, PHP still wouldn't load it.

9. Restart your computer.