Description:
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I have gone around in a circle with this conundrum.

http://windows.php.net/ says:
"If you are using PHP with Apache 1 or Apache2 from apache.org you need to use the VC6 versions of PHP" (in the right hand column)
but it also says 
"For Apache SAPIs (php5_apache2_2.dll), be sure that you use a Visual Studio C++ 9 version of Apache."
and
"All PHP users should note that the PHP 5.2 series is NOT supported anymore. All users are strongly encouraged to upgrade to PHP 5.3.6."

On the download page (http://windows.php.net/download/) there are options for 5.3.8 which are VC9 builds and 5.2.17 which are VC6.

Because I am using Apache 2.2, I *have* to use 5.2.17 (because it is only the VC6 version available) yet I am strongly encouraged to use 5.3.6 -- or, I guess 5.3.8 now.

Furthermore, as I explain in https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=55514, I can't install 5.2.17 because of a problem that manifests itself as a registry issue. (It's still not clear to me where the problem resides: On my PC, in the msi file, in the registry, with Windows in general or maybe in the alignment of the planets)

So I am looking for  clarification of what I should be trying to install and how should I do it, considering that there are no msi files for 5.3.x

Thanks for any help you can give.