Admin Login Problems

[Ahr Aitch]

I installed an SMF forum on my localhost server this week.  I added a couple of users and made myself the admin. I even installed the SMF Gallery Lite, and that's when the problems started.

In testing the gallery I ran into some problems with file size.  After much searching, I learned that the problem was probably due to the fact that my SQL was MS SQL Server which is not supported with SMF.  Soooo . . .   I've spent the entire week trying to get MySQL installed and usable.  I ran into issues with phpMyAdmin so decided to ask ChatGPT what my options were.  I tried for 2 days to install DBeaver but failed.  I then tried HeidiSQL and finally got it installed and working. 

I made changes to the SMF Settings.php file to make its information match the database type, name, port number, user id, password, and host IP address align with what I used in MySQL.  I don't know if that works yet, because I need to change settings in my forum.  I've slept more than twice since I created my Admin login and cannot remember the password I used.  I tried using the forgot pw route to receive an email with a reset option but I don't think that will work because I'm running the forum on localhost (IP 127.0.0.1).  At least, I think that's the problem because I cannot get the email in that the SMF should generate from my email client (Thunderbird).

Can anyone suggest how I might get past this conundrum?

[Illori]

what is your goal of setting up your SMF on localhost? a lot of features may not work correctly if your "server" is not setup correctly. it may be easier for you to pay for a host and set it up there.

SMF does not work with mssql, so it does not install on it or touch it, you did not need to uninstall it or do anything to it.

[shawnb61]

You have lots of options.  Since this is a learning exercise, try them all!

 - Delete (or truncate) the old db & files, start over.
 - Create a 2nd db & folder & install a 2nd forum.
 - Use Papercut to emulate email on your localhost.  I use Papercut & it's an excellent product.  It intercepts the email sent by SMF locally and let's you respond.  Ideal for testing email.

https://changemakerstudios.us/papercut-smtp/

[pimps]

Thanks for the tip about Papercut, Shawnb61. I didn't know there was a tool like that for local email testing—sounds like exactly what's needed for situations like this. I'll give it a try on my setup. Also appreciate the suggestion to try a second install alongside the first. Makes sense to experiment with multiple setups while learning. Cheers for the practical advice.