Adding VirtualHost fails: Access Forbidden Error 403 (XAMPP) (Windows 7)

I've got a XAMPP installation running on Windows 7.

As soon as I add a VirtualHost to httpd-vhosts.conf, BOTH the 'regular' http://localhost AND the new dropbox.local aren't working.

This is what I added to my httpd-vhosts.conf:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin [email protected]
    DocumentRoot "E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs"
    ServerName dropbox.local
    ServerAlias www.dropbox.local
    ErrorLog "logs/dropbox.local-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/dropbox.local-access.log" combined
</VirtualHost>

So I looked up my dropbox.local-error.log for any information:

[Thu Feb 02 10:41:57 2012] [error] [client 127.0.0.1] client denied by server configuration: E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs/

This error seems to be solved by adding

<directory "E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs">
     Allow from all
</directory>

But now I get this error in dropbox.local-error.log:

[Thu Feb 02 10:45:56 2012] [error] [client ::1] Directory index forbidden by Options directive: E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs/

Furthermore when I try to access http://localhost, I dont get any error in the regular error.log, although I get the error 403 when I try to access it.

Can anybody help... It's driving me mad :S

EDIT: Also in httpd.conf there is the following (I've seen it mentioned multiple times, so before anyone says it):

<IfModule dir_module>
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.pl index.cgi index.asp index.shtml index.html index.htm \
                   default.php default.pl default.cgi default.asp default.shtml default.html default.htm \
                   home.php home.pl home.cgi home.asp home.shtml home.html home.htm
</IfModule>

Okay: This is what I did now and it's solved:

My httpd-vhosts.conf looks like this now:

<VirtualHost dropbox.local:80>
    DocumentRoot "E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs"
    ServerName dropbox.local
    ErrorLog "logs/dropbox.local-error.log"
    CustomLog "logs/dropbox.local-access.log" combined
	<Directory "E:/Documenten/Dropbox/Dropbox/dummy-htdocs">
		# AllowOverride All      # Deprecated
		# Order Allow,Deny       # Deprecated
		# Allow from all         # Deprecated

        # --New way of doing it
		Require all granted    
	</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

First, I saw that it's necessary to have set the <Directory xx:xx> options. So I put the <Directory > [..] </Directory>-part INSIDE the <VirtualHost > [..] </VirtualHost>. After that, I added AllowOverride AuthConfig Indexes to the <Directory> options.

Now http://localhost also points to the dropbox-virtualhost. So I added dropbox.local to <VirtualHost *:80> which makes it as <VirtualHost dropbox.local:80>

FINALLY it works :D!

I'm a happy man! :) :)

I hope someone else can use this information.

For me worked when I changed "directory" content into this:

<Directory  "*YourLocation*">
Options All
AllowOverride All
Require all granted  
</Directory>

For me (also XAMPP on Windows 7), this is what worked:

<Directory "C:\projects\myfolder\htdocs">`
   AllowOverride All
   Require all granted
   Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
</Directory>` 

It is this line that would cause the 403:

Order allow,deny

I'm using XAMPP 1.6.7 on Windows 7. This article worked for me.

I added the following lines in the file httpd-vhosts.conf at C:/xampp/apache/conf/extra.
I had also uncommented the line # NameVirtualHost *:80

<VirtualHost mysite.dev:80>
    DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs/mysite"
    ServerName mysite.dev
    ServerAlias mysite.dev
    <Directory "C:/xampp/htdocs/mysite">
        Order allow,deny
        Allow from all
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

After restarting the apache, it were still not working. Then I had to follow the step 9 mentioned in the article by editing the file C:/Windows/System32/drivers/etc/hosts.

# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
     127.0.0.1       localhost
     ::1             localhost
     127.0.0.1       mysite.dev  

Then I got working http://mysite.dev

Thank you, that worked! But I replaced this

AllowOverride AuthConfig Indexes

with that

AllowOverride All

Otherwise, the .htaccess didn't work: I got problems with the RewriteEngine and the error message "RewriteEngine not allowed here".

Above suggestions didn't worked for me. I got it running on my windows, using inspiration from http://butlerccwebdev.net/support/testingserver/vhosts-setup-win.html

For Http inside httpd-vhosts.conf

<Directory "D:/Projects">       
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>

##Letzgrow
<VirtualHost *:80>
DocumentRoot "D:/Projects/letzgrow"
ServerName letz.dev
ServerAlias letz.dev    
</VirtualHost>

For using Https (Open SSL) inside httpd-ssl.conf

<Directory "D:/Projects">       
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>

##Letzgrow
<VirtualHost *:443>
DocumentRoot "D:/Projects/letzgrow"
ServerName letz.dev
ServerAlias letz.dev    
</VirtualHost>

Hope it helps someone !!

After so many changes and tries and answers. For

> SOs: Windows 7 / Windows 10
> > Xampp Version: Xampp or Xampp portable 7.1.18 / 7.3.7 (control panel v3.2.4) > > Installers: win32-7.1.18-0-VC14-installer / xampp-windows-x64-7.3.7-0-VC15-installer

1. Do not edit other files like httpd-xampp

2. Stop Apache

3. Open httpd-vhosts.conf located in **your_xampp_directory**\apache\conf\extra\ (your XAMPP directory might be by default: C:/xampp/htdocs)

4. Remove hash before the following line (aprox. line 20): NameVirtualHost *:80 (this might be optional)

5. Add the following virtual hosts at the end of the file, considering your directories paths:

   ##127.0.0.1
   <VirtualHost *:80>
       DocumentRoot "C:/xampp/htdocs"
       ServerName localhost
       ErrorLog "logs/localhost-error.log"
       CustomLog "logs/localhost-access.log" common
   </VirtualHost>
   
   ##127.0.0.2
   <VirtualHost *:80>
       DocumentRoot "F:/myapp/htdocs/"
       ServerName test1.localhost
       ServerAlias www.test1.localhost
       ErrorLog "logs/myapp-error.log"
       CustomLog "logs/myapp-access.log" common
       <Directory  "F:/myapp/htdocs/">
           #Options All # Deprecated
           #AllowOverride All # Deprecated
           Require all granted  
       </Directory>
   </VirtualHost>
   

6. Edit (with admin access) your host file (located at Windows\System32\drivers\etc, but with the following tip, only one loopback ip for every domain:

   127.0.0.1 localhost
   127.0.0.2 test1.localhost
   127.0.0.2 www.test1.localhost
   

For every instance, repeat the second block, the first one is the main block only for "default" purposes.

I am using xampp 1.7.3. Using inspiration from here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/6327667/xampp-1-7-3-upgrade-broken-virtual-hosts-access-forbidden

INSTEAD OF add <Directory> .. </Directory> in httpd-vhosts.conf, I add it in httpd.conf right after <Directory "D:/xampplite/cgi-bin"> .. </Directory>.

Here is what I add in httpd.conf:

<Directory "D:/CofeeShop">
    AllowOverride All
    Options  All
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
</Directory>

And here is what I add in httpd-vhosts.conf

<VirtualHost *:8001>
    ServerAdmin postmaster@dummy-host2.localhost
    DocumentRoot "D:/CofeeShop"
    ServerName localhost:8001
</VirtualHost>

I also add Listen 8001 in httpd.conf to complete my setting.

Hope it helps

For many it's a permission issue, but for me it turns out the error was brought about by a mistake in the form I was trying to submit. To be specific i had accidentally put a "greater than" sign after the value of "action". So I would suggest you take a second look at your code.