Virtually Clueless

[starblazer]

I'm running Vista for the first time (which is part of the problem) but basically I have no clue what to do with the webinstall.php file once I've opened it.  At first I couldn't even open it, until a friend alerted me to the Crimson Editor program, and I made that the default program to open .php files on my system.  So it looks great, but what do I do with it now?  How does this get me to the point where I have a message board? 

I did use Simple Machines Forums a long time ago to create a message board using XP, but I can't really remember what I did.  It involved opening some zip files, but Vista won't open those either.  Pardon my naivete, but I'm only trying to give you a feel for exactly how much help I'm going to be needing here.

[starblazer]

I've gotten a little further, only because I thought to click on "support" above, where I learned that my critical impasse had been in not realizing I was supposed to upload the webinstall.php file onto my server.  So I did that, and all kinds of stuff appears, a whole big list of stuff -- smileys and fantastico and a readme and what-have-you -- but I have no idea what to do with any of it, or how this gets me to the point where I have a forums page and skins and all that.

I think what might have happened last time is that my old web designer did the basics for me and uploaded the page, and that all I did was decide what the forums and categories were going to be called, so people therefore could start posting.

But my memory doesn't serve me very well on this one, as it was a few years ago.  I'm not a complete luddite, but I do sense that this whole endeavor is scraping the limits of my computer-awareness.

[redone]

I assume from this your uploading it and trying to run it locally rather than on a web host server?

If your installing locally look at something like WAMP

[starblazer]

No, I'm uploading it on my web host server.  The situation is: I have a web site including about ten pages so far, and I want to add the message board (or forums page) as an additional page.

[redone]

Apologies for the misunderstanding then. Review the online doc manual which explains how to install SMF.

Installing SMF

[starblazer]

I'm at work now, but have emailed the link to the online doc manual to my home address, so I can take a look at it when I get home tonight.  Thank you for that.

[starblazer]

My web site is http://andypope.org [nofollow] --  why not someone take a look at http://andypope.org/Forum%20Installer.txt [nofollow] and tell me what I have done wrong & what should I do now.

[minstrel]

My web site is http://andypope.org --  why not someone take a look at http://andypope.org/Forum%20Installer.txt and tell me what I have done wrong & what should I do now.

It looks like you've taken the installer program and converted it to a text file. The installer should have a .php extension.

[starblazer]

Thanks, Minstrel.  It's sounds like it could be another one of those Windows Vista "file association" issues.  Let me go to the "default programs" function on the Control Panel & see what I can do.

[starblazer]

Got it!  Check it out: http://andypope.org/webinstall.php [nofollow]

[starblazer]

Now I'm stuck on "Step Two." It says I've successfully installed the software, but I get an error message of one kind or another when I try to proceed from there.  Look:

http://andypope.org/webinstall.php?step=2 [nofollow]

Can anyone help with this?

[starblazer]

Let me make my problem a little more clear. Here's a copy & paste of a required form -- how do I fill in the blanks?

This web installer needs your FTP information in order to automate the installation for you. Please note that none of this information is saved in your installation, it is just used to setup SMF.

Server: = what??
Port: 21
The address (often localhost) and port for your FTP server.

Username: andypope
The username to login with. This will not be saved anywhere.

Password: = what?? or do I just pick one?
The password to login with. This will not be saved anywhere.

Install Path: /public_html
This is the relative path you use in your FTP client.

So, these are my questions:

(1) What do I put under "server?"

(2) What's my password? Is it the same as the password for my web site control panel? Or am I to choose another one? Or what?

I've also sometimes gotten the error message that /public_html is an invalid path. If it's supposed to be something like /public.html/forums.php, is this something I was supposed to have done earlier?

[redone]

(1) What do I put under "server?" ftp.yoursite.com

(2) What's my password? Is it the same as the password for my web site control panel? Or am I to choose another one? Or what? Your ftp password (usually the same as your web hosting panel)

I've also sometimes gotten the error message that /public_html is an invalid path. If it's supposed to be something like /public.html/forums.php, is this something I was supposed to have done earlier? Your path is found automatically and is typically /public_html/forumfolder/

[starblazer]

OK -- I did all that, but got the following error message:

"Unable to connect to FTP server with this combination of details.
550 Can't change directory to /public_html/forumfolder: No such file or directory"

Was I supposed to have established a folder entitled public_html/forumfolder/ at some point earlier, in some way?

[starblazer]

I've now realized that no matter what I do, I get an error message containing, among other words, the words "no such file or directory."  I've even tried creating new files with new names, etc. -- just as I've done whenever I've added new pages to the web site in the past.  So I am pretty much at a total loss. 

[Dragooon]

It should be the full path to your forum directory.
Something like /home/something/public_html/forum.
Ask your host if you are unsure.

[redone]

All the information you need is contained within the doc link I provided for installing SMF on your webserver. Errors with passwords are typically just mis-typed passwords and missing files and folders are often the same.

Remember its case sensitive so Forum is not the same as forum for example. If your still stuck send me a PM and I will install it for you but you must provide the correct FTP password and the correct database username and password for me to complete this.

[starblazer]

Thanks, redone.  It's all set up now -- (Minstrel helped me out.)