As everything I tried provided no diagnostic information about the problem I went back to basics.

I assumed that Apache was the problem and did not have the correct permissions to access MySQL - even though it could run a .exe program. It has permission under the Local Systems account on my PC to access and run an .exe such as my c coded "Hello World" program which it did successfully.

So I gave Apache Administrators rights in:

Services->select Apache->select Log On->select 'This account-> and provide the Administrator username and password. Click Apply and stop and restart Apache.

And it worked. I can now access the MySQL data.

Thank you all for your help and suggestions.

Finally does anyone have any advice/concerns about giving Apache Administrator rights?