Mods aren't installing on fresh SMF install

[RCC_SaMiaM]

Install a mod, says it installs but it doesn't. Thought it might be a permission issue so set everything to 777, still doesn't work. I am a long time user but have been away for a while. Tried searching but nothing new came up. I know it is probably something simple.

[Kindred]

its not a chmod issue...  it's a chown issue.

You need to either get your host to fix the ownership of files versus scripts or manually install mods.

[RCC_SaMiaM]

All files in Sources directory have correct ownership, one of the first things I checked. Or do you mean the zip file?

[Kindred]

Nope... The ownership is incorrect..

What happens is that the SCRIPT is running as the php/Apache user - which, in your host's case is probable "nobody". So when you upload a script through another script, it gets run by "nobody".
Your system checks the files for the correct permissions and locations to edit... But then the server throws away the changes, because "nobody" is not authorized to do any of that...
In this configuration, the server never even warns you that the edits will be tossed... It just does it silently.

It's a bad configuration on the part of your host.
The running script should be running as the site owner, not as nobody.

[RCC_SaMiaM]

If that was the case none of the other SMF installs I have on this server would be able to install mods, but they can.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Are permissions on your other installs set to 777?  Some servers don't like that.