how do I get access to localhost?

[Foog]

I've got Apache2 installed on my pc running Windows XP.
I've also got the No-Ip.com dynamic ip updater installed so I can use a URL instead of telling the new ip address each time I restart my comp...
if I go to the url (cathyswedding.no-ip.info) it works fine...
but if I try to go to localhost... I get an error 500... I want to install mysql so I can make a message board... but it sais it needs access to localhost...

Any ideas are appreciated,
Thanks,
Foog (The Foogster)

[parasane]

Actually, even though you're getting the HTTP/500 ISE doesn't mean MySQL won't work --- MySQL runs as a daemon and doesn't use Apache at all. It will set up it's own socket and (by default) accept communication through port 3306, not the standard port 80 that Apache uses.

Now, as to why localhost causes the 500 in the first place, I don't know. Check your logs for information on that. As you said, through the web it comes up fine.

Congrats, by the way.... though I still don't understand why people would want to ruin a perfectly good relationship by getting married.

[mack]

if localhost does not resolve make sure your host file is present. This tells your computer to make the location localhost resolve to your default computer ip. This is not a LAN or WAN ip it is simply the location Windows uses to refer to it's self.

your host file should be here...
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts (in win xp)

If the host file is present make sure it has the following...

127.0.0.1 localhost

Mack.

[john_k]

What Mack said +

The hosts file doesn't have any extension. Depending upon your version of windows, you may have one called hosts.sam (sam=sample I guess). Copy that to "hosts" or just remove the extension. Then open it in Notepad to make sure it has the entry Mack suggested.

[parasane]

I don't know if that really explains the problem, but it is a good pointer. Foog said that the 500 is the primary concern, and that shouldn't relate to an unresolved host.... well, entirely, anyway.

I'm actually considering the possibility of an incorrectly-authored htaccess file, but I can't explain why that would cause an internal 500 but not an external one. The only reason I considered that in the first place is because the site appears to be written in pure HTML.

Foog, what happens if you use the localhost IP (the same one mack had in the reply: 127.0.0.1) or the network IP of the machine, if applicable (most likely 192.168.0.x, where x = machine's Class C number)?

Also, did you perchance get to check the logs?