starting executable

I am trying to figure out how to get the CMD (dos) window to come up when I
call a executable. I have this working on a Win2000/apache machine and am
trying to use the same code on a identical machine.

Here is how I start the executable. It is initiated from the browser on the
machine itself:
pclose(popen("start " . $exe . $params, "r"));

What normally happens is a cmd window pops up showing the executable's
output to screen. My php code then gets the PID for the executable by
running a tlist.exe and searching for the name of the executable. I take
this PID and sleep till a certain time and then kill the executable.

When I do it on the new machine the executable runs but no cmd window comes
up. I also cannot get a PID for the executable because tlist output shows
the executable's PID but has no information about it. When I manually use
Tasklist I can see the name of the executable.

PHP and apache are setup identically on both machines so it must be
something in windows. From looking around I think it may have to do with
'apache not interacting with the desktop' ?

I need to have the cmd window come up and I feel if I can get that
accomplished the PID problem will be taken care of too.

Thanks,
Jay Haslup

I remembered that under Services there is a 'allow service to interact with
desktop' that must be checked.

This fixes my problem. Now a CMD window pops up and I can retrieve the PID


"Jay Haslup" <jay.haslup@jhuapl.edu> wrote in message
news:cm6o8i$bc8$1@aplcore.jhuapl.edu...
> I am trying to figure out how to get the CMD (dos) window to come up when
I
> call a executable. I have this working on a Win2000/apache machine and am
> trying to use the same code on a identical machine.
>
> Here is how I start the executable. It is initiated from the browser on
the
> machine itself:
> pclose(popen("start " . $exe . $params, "r"));
>
> What normally happens is a cmd window pops up showing the executable's
> output to screen. My php code then gets the PID for the executable by
> running a tlist.exe and searching for the name of the executable. I take
> this PID and sleep till a certain time and then kill the executable.
>
> When I do it on the new machine the executable runs but no cmd window
comes
> up. I also cannot get a PID for the executable because tlist output shows
> the executable's PID but has no information about it. When I manually use
> Tasklist I can see the name of the executable.
>
> PHP and apache are setup identically on both machines so it must be
> something in windows. From looking around I think it may have to do with
> 'apache not interacting with the desktop' ?
>
> I need to have the cmd window come up and I feel if I can get that
> accomplished the PID problem will be taken care of too.
>
> Thanks,
> Jay Haslup
>
>