When you install WordPress on a Windows machine you may get the following error message:
HTTP Error 500.0 - Internal Server Error C:\Program Files (x86)\PHP\v5.5\php-cgi.exe - The FastCGI process exited unexpectedly Detailed Error Information: Module FastCgiModule Notification ExecuteRequestHandler Handler PHP55_via_FastCGI1 Error Code 0x000000ff
The error message is misleading. If you open the Application events in the Event Viewer you may find the following
Faulting application name: php-cgi.exe, version: 5.5.38.0, time stamp: 0x578fc02c Faulting module name: MSVCR110.dll, version: 6.3.9600.18233, time stamp: 0x56bb4e1d Exception code: 0xc0000135 Fault offset: 0x0009d3c2 Faulting process id: 0xcec Faulting application start time: 0x01d24603ad650d40 Faulting application path: C:\Program Files (x86)\PHP\v5.5\php-cgi.exe Faulting module path: MSVCR110.dll
The key is the MSVCR110.dll
This DLL is part of the Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2012 Update 4. Download the 32 bit version, even if you have a 64 bit operating system, from http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679
After the installation WordPress will start to work without reboot.