@Wesley - <edited> why don't you explain why it wasn't reasonable. I have years of hosting/server background. I do not have years supporting crap environments like XAMPP or converting them thus I asked before I go off on my own (looking for the easiest way of course). You are missing the piece that this is co-owned with a vendor and not everything can be perfectly controlled. <edited>

cont... It is akin to someone asking how to install some door in the DIY and then they say they won't answer because that brand of door isn't good enough quality. Well that is perfectly fine to comment about the quality of the door and telling them that they are dumb for using the door but they would still tell you how to install it as best as it could be. What is more perplexing and quite frankly idiotic is why there would be a tag "XAMPP" when all XAMPP questions are refused.

I don't think you guys get it. I would never set up a server like this. It is being used in production for a large scale suite of sites. I took over managing this - which is co-owned by a vendor. What the site is assuming is that the people asking the questions have full control. I am asking what can I do given the constraints I have not "tell me how bad my environment is and refuse to talk unless I do things the perfect way". ... cont.

Who says XAMPP is a dev tool? It is on thousands of production environments world wide. I didn't choose to use it (it was made for me) and agree it has issues but since it is used on productions servers - EVERYWHERE - I doubt your ability to answer this question. Please show me that XAMPP is not used in production environments. I am not sure you or the few other mods that agree are the people who make definitions for what is prod and what isn't. The site's FAQs suggest it is a good question so maybe you should get that changed too. Unreal.