I run a MySQL server and an Apache server compiled with PHP on my laptop, and on my desktop for development purposes.

If you run Windows, this looks promising http://sourceforge.net/projects/phptriad/

OR there's this site: http://www.firepages.com.au/

Or there's the google search I just did:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&l...ache+mysql+php

Just as a note, you'll probably access your server with the url http://localhost or http://127.0.0.0

I'm just assuming you run Windows, the most common platform for Apache, MySQL, and PHP are on Linux, a setup typically referred to as LAMP. I run it on both my MacOS X laptop and my OpenBSD test box. The only windows box I run is for my mom and sis so that I don't have to take the time to show them "where the internet is" or any such painful concept.

I dunno about those blank pages and jumbled code then, never had that experience, well not when opening them from teh desktop, sometimes I've forgotten the <?php and ?> to encapsulate the file and been scratching my head for a second or to wondering why I'm reading code rather than looking at a website..., or I've accidently navigated to an include file and wondered why it showed up blank..., but then that is why I run a copy locally, so that I can make those stupid mistakes before the public can do those same stupid mistakes.

Peace,
Dhej