When trying to install the latest version of Apache on my development machine, I was presented with the following error at the end of the installation:

Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally pemitted. 
make_sock: could not bind to address 0.0.0.0:80
no listening sockets available, shutting down
Unable to openlogs
Note the errors or messages above, and press the < ESC > key to exit.

Initially I thought it was a problem associated with Windows Vista (yes my development machine is a Vista PC!) and the previously installed IIS. However, after a lot of deliberating and Google searches, it appears that Skype was the culprit. Skype listens on port 80 and 443 for incoming requests. So to solve the problem I simply closed down Skype and re-installed Apache. As Apache was setup as a Windows service, no conflicts subsequently arise with Skype as Apache will start using the ports before Skype.

There is a setting in Skype under Tools > Options > Advanced > Connection called “Use port 80 and 443 as alternatives for incoming connections”. This is checked by default. Uncheck this to prevent conflicts with Apache.

The Key Point: Stop Skype before installing Apache.

After installing ColdFusion 8 and Apache successfully you may still see an “HTTP 500 Internal Server Error” when navigating to a ColdFusion page. All is not lost, you simply need to configure, or check the configuration of Apache.

Apache requires very little post installation modification, but it is always good practice to check the httpd.conf file to ensure that the ColdFusion “install” scripts did what they were supposed to do.

If you haven’t confirmed that Apache is running, open your browser and point it to http://localhost/ (unless you specified a real URL during installation). You should see the Apache test page. If you see an error, review the Apache installation steps to make sure you followed all the steps correctly, and/or check your log files for more detailed errors.

Now we know Apache is running, but how about ColdFusion? Point your browser to the ColdFusion Administrator found commonly at http://localhost/CFIDE/administrator/index.cfm and see what happens. One of three possible failures could occur:

1. Your browser prompts you to save the .cfm file to your computer. There a couple of possible resolutions to this. Firstly restart the Apache service. If this does not resolve the issue you will need to check the httpd.conf file to ensure that the ColdFusion module is being loaded. The file can typically be found in the C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\conf\ directory.
   Make sure that the DirectoryIndex has a reference to the index.cfm file (i.e. the default file):Ensure that the LoadModule jrun_module "C:/ColdFusion8/runtime/lib/wsconfig/1/mod_jrun22.so" is also present:

   

   If you need to edit this file, restart the Apache service after you have saved the changes.

2. You get a message that the CFIDE folder cannot be found. This is more likely to be a problem with where you placed the ColdFusion application during install. The default location is in the Apache directory (C:\Program Files\Apache Software Foundation\Apache2.2\htdocs), so check in the http.conf file to ensure the DocumentRoot is pointing correctly. Alternatively, copy this folder to your localhost webroot (e.g. C:\WebRoot) ensuring that the DocumentRoot points to your webroot (see the yellow box in the second screen-shot).
3. You get another message which probably means that you need to reinstall ColdFusion, and/or Apache!

And that is it, you can start using ColdFusion and developing applications.