Description:
------------
i am no longer running this configuration as i found that moving back to 5.2.11 solved this problem.

php 5.3.2 (x86 fastcgi)

windows server 2k8 (x64)

 I have spent a good few days googling around and trying things so let me give you the current state.

cmd.exe copied to php folder, all instances of cmd.exe, including syswow64, given read execute permissions to domain users, local users, iis_iusrs, network service in addition to the defaults

from my users command prompt i can execute php c:\inetpub\wwwroot\forktest.php, as well the same with php-cgi -f c:\inetpub\wwwroot\forktest.php

 system() is giving  a return_val of -1

in procmon.exe i can actually see the create call succeed. the application being executed has also been given the same permissions as cmd.exe, however it is not in the php folder but the full path has been given.

 my application pool, default setup, runs under network service.

here is a snippet that is failing from forktest.php

<?php 
$result = 0;
$resultstr = system('echo %PATH%', $result);
echo "return value is $result \n"; 
echo "output string is $resultstr \n";
?> 

 output:

Warning: system() [function.system]: Unable to fork [echo %PATH%] in C:\inetpub\wwwroot\forktest.php on line 25
return value is -1 output string is 

 i went ahead and deleted the cmd.exe in my php folder and in procmon i am seeing exactly what should be happening, c:\windows\syswow64\cmd.exe.

 it seems my problem is actually executing cmd.exe, not the application i am attempting to execute.




Reproduce code:
---------------
<?php 
$result = 0;
$resultstr = system('echo %PATH%', $result);
echo "return value is $result \n"; 
echo "output string is $resultstr \n";
?>