Using any of the external program execution methods (exec(), passthru(), etc.) only work with commands that are internal to the command interpreter.

For example passthru("dir") or passthru("time /t") work fine, however passthru("ping.exe localhost") or any other executable file - fails.

There is no error displayed, the script just continues execution without any noticeable delay.

One funny thing is that if a bogus command is passed, eg. passthru("blah_blah.exe"), a line is added to the Apache error log saying:

'blah_blah.exe' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file.

My setup is:

Windows 2000 Server, Apache 1.3.17, PHP 4.11 downloaded as binaries, configurations pretty straightforward (safe_mode=Off!).

I'll be glad to provide any further information.

Eyal Zvi.