title: Unable to retrieve files from public folder using Apache but php artisan serve works
body: <p>I'm trying to set up 2 virtual machines on windows, one to store user uploaded files like images and another for the server and my application. The VM containing the app will access the other VM through a mapped network drive and a sym link to get the user uploaded files. Everything works well except for when I use Apache server(XAMPP), my app can't retrieve the files. However when I use <code>php artisan serve</code>, it can retrieve and display the files with no problem. I ensured that I gave 'Everyone' permissions to my network drive and my <code>httpd-vhosts.conf</code> looks fine:</p>
  <pre><code>#&lt;VirtualHost WebApp.com:80&gt;
  DocumentRoot &quot;C:\xampp\htdocs\WebApp\public&quot;
  ServerAdmin laravel.dev
  &lt;Directory &quot;C:\xampp\htdocs\WebApp&quot;&gt;
      Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
      AllowOverride All
      Require all granted
  &lt;/Directory&gt;
  #&lt;/VirtualHost&gt;
  </code></pre>
  <p>I will appreciate any help.</p>