localhost server checkout_process -> checkout_success returning internal server error

Dear all,
I have a problem on my localhost test site. It seems to be working fine on my live site.

The problem is during checkout, after clicking on "Confirm the order" button on Step 3 Order Confirmation (checkout_confirmation), it just waits until a internal server error message appears on the browser.

I check the cache directory and there is no error log generated.

The code is the same as on my live site, but the database content is different (it has got all the demo products). I use SVN to implement changes on this localhost test site and then merge changes across to my live site. So I can say that the code is the same. I've removed all test changes from the localhost.

When I check my Orders in Admin, the order has correctly been entered into the database and I can see it. I can also see the order from my Customer log in on the store side.

The items in the cart still remains when I re-load the store, and I am still logged in as a customer.

It seems to be partially working, except it never gets to the checkout_success page on my localhost test site.

Any ideas what could be going on?

1. What payment gateway is being used when this occurs?
2. Your apache error logs will tell you the cause of the internal-server-error
3. http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?105-why-am-i-getting-500-internal-server-error

1. What payment gateway is being used when this occurs?

Check/Money Order

2. Your apache error logs will tell you the cause of the internal-server-error

I looked into the Apache ./logs/error.log file and doesn't appear to contain any errors that I can see. From the latest session after the HTTP Error 500 (Internal Server Error) has occurred:

[Thu Jan 10 07:42:45.106037 2013] [mpm_winnt:notice] [pid 2044:tid 428] AH00455: Apache/2.4.2 (Win32) PHP/5.4.5 configured -- resuming normal operations
[Thu Jan 10 07:42:45.106037 2013] [mpm_winnt:notice] [pid 2044:tid 428] AH00456: Server built: May 13 2012 14:10:15
[Thu Jan 10 07:42:45.106037 2013] [core:notice] [pid 2044:tid 428] AH00094: Command line: 'C:\\Apache24\\bin\\httpd.exe -d C:/Apache24'
[Thu Jan 10 07:42:45.121638 2013] [mpm_winnt:notice] [pid 2044:tid 428] AH00418: Parent: Created child process 2396
[Thu Jan 10 07:42:45.948439 2013] [mpm_winnt:notice] [pid 2396:tid 332] AH00354: Child: Starting 64 worker threads.

3. http://www.zen-cart.com/content.php?105-why-am-i-getting-500-internal-server-error[/QUOTE]

Do I have to enable verbose logging or something?

I figured out what was wrong. It's the email.

I left it on default PHP email path on ZenCart, but for some reason, my host isn't accepting my login from my localhost PHP server. So it was getting stuck and timing out.

I installed on my Windows PC server the Test Mail Server Tool and set my localhost ZenCart to:

E-Mail Transport Method = smtp
SMTP Email Mail Host = localhost
SMTP Email Mail Server Port = 25

Now everything is working like it should. :)

When you're testing on a development PC in localhost, you can simply turn off the email subsystem by setting Admin->Configuration->Email Options->Send Emails to False.
Then you won't have to deal with problems caused by an inadequately equipped test server.

Live and learn. :)

Thanks, DrByte.