Quick Install Guide

[ClassicVAG]

My advice would be to give up trying to install it with that hosting company rather than give up on osCommerce.

 

Vger

 

Vell...I'll think that is a little bit simple to be honest...

 

I've asked my ISP and they have other customers running osCommerce without any problems so I really don't think that is the problem.

 

Changing ISP is not an alternatvie so I'll need to figure this out or find some other software to use...time will show.

[♥Vger]

You have said in previous posts that you had no problem with installing osCommerce. Does this mean that osCommerce, both Catalog and Admin, runs fine until you try to edit things? Or does it mean that the install appeared to go fine with no error messages but that the website never worked following the install?

 

In one other post you mentioned that things went wrong when you tried to use .htaccess to password protect the admin folder. Does your website by any chance have FrontPage extensions installed - because if you do then you can't use .htaccess to password protect folders and must use FrontPage to do that. FrontPage puts some code into .htaccess to tell itself to ignore those files, but if you overwrite that code with password protection then it will mess up your whole site.

 

It's not simplistic to advise some people to change hosts, but it depends upon how valuable you rate your own time. Does it make sense to spend weeks trying to get an osCommerce website running with one hosting company when, with another hosting company, you could have your site up and running in a few hours?

 

Vger

[ClassicVAG]

You have said in previous posts that you had no problem with installing osCommerce. Does this mean that osCommerce, both Catalog and Admin, runs fine until you try to edit things? Or does it mean that the install appeared to go fine with no error messages but that the website never worked following the install?

 

Now problems installing osCommerce. Admin works fine a little while after installing, Catalog was, and still is working perfect.

 

 

In one other post you mentioned that things went wrong when you tried to use .htaccess to password protect the admin folder. Does your website by any chance have FrontPage extensions installed - because if you do then you can't use .htaccess to password protect folders and must use FrontPage to do that. FrontPage puts some code into .htaccess to tell itself to ignore those files, but if you overwrite that code with password protection then it will mess up your whole site.

 

There's no change on Admin folder using .htaccess or not.

Frontpage Extensions are available, I'll check to see if this can cause the problem. I'm currently using HTML-kit when editing my site nad has had no problems so far.

 

 

It's not simplistic to advise some people to change hosts, but it depends upon how valuable you rate your own time. Does it make sense to spend weeks trying to get an osCommerce website running with one hosting company when, with another hosting company, you could have your site up and running in a few hours?

 

Vger

 

I see your point, but why change ISP when the overall service and performance is very good?

I'm more happy if I can work out the problems and learn something on the way....also I'm not able to find any software that comes even close to osCommerce...maybe I didn't look good enough... ;)

[♥Vger]

If FrontPage extensions are not only 'available' to you but actually installed on your domain then you need to get them uninstalled. Sometimes you can do this yourself, but other times your hosts will have to do it for you. Once that's done you should FTP to your website and delete every folder that starts with vti_, because uninstalling FrontPage extensions often does not uninstall the folders that have already been created.

 

You could have paid thousands for a commercial non-oscommerce shopping cart and ended up with a lesser product.

 

FrontPage should come with a warning "This product will seriously screw up your dynamic php website."

 

Vger

[ClassicVAG]

FrontPage should come with a warning "This product will seriously screw up your dynamic php website."

 

Vger

 

Thats true, personally I hate Frontpage...

 

By the way I have removed these extensions from my site but it didn't seem to help...will check some more to see if I can get it running.

 

...and I've also started looking for another ISP...I can't live without osCommerce I'm afraid.

 

Yoyr assitance is much appreciated, thanks.

[Slug_Thrower]

How should the permissions be set after installation? Should they stay at 777 or be set down? I am getting this warning at the top of my page "Warning: I am able to write to the configuration file: /home/middleto/public_html/catalog/includes/configure.php. This is a potential security risk - please set the right user permissions on this file."

[Jet7]

Hi everybody, it's my first post and i have many problems with the installation of oscommerce. And retried several times but always failed.

 

I did the instalation and everythig was ok but in step 7 i have this :

 

Warning: fopen(c:/domains/mydomain.com/wwwroot/oscommerce/catalog/includes/configure.php): failed to open stream: Invalid argument in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 209

 

Warning: fputs(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 210

 

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 211

 

Warning: fopen(c:/domains/mydomain.com/wwwroot/oscommerce/catalog/admin/includes/configure.php): failed to open stream: Permission denied in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 259

 

Warning: fputs(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 260

 

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 261

 

The configuration was successful!

 

and when i pushed "Administration Tool" i have this :

Warning: mysql_connect(): Access denied for user: 'mysql@localhost' (Using password: NO) in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\admin\includes\functions\database.php on line 19

Unable to connect to database server!

 

Vger, i know that you can help me but can you explain to me with more details the solution, please. Excuse me for my english...

 

Thanks for all

[♥Vger]

The permissions MUST be reset for the includes/configure.php file after the install is complete. Permissions will either be 644, 444 or 400 and this depends on your server set up so I can't be more specific.

 

Vger

How should the permissions be set after installation? Should they stay at 777 or be set down? I am getting this warning at the top of my page "Warning: I am able to write to the configuration file: /home/middleto/public_html/catalog/includes/configure.php. This is a potential security risk - please set the right user permissions on this file."

[♥Vger]

The reason you are getting those error messages is that the permissions on the two configure.php files were not set to allow the install to write data to them. For the install to proceed set the permissions on those two files to 755.

 

Read my post above for which permissions to reset those files to AFTER the install is completed satisfactorily.

 

Vger

Hi everybody, it's my first post and i have many problems with the installation of oscommerce. And retried several times but always failed.

 

I did the instalation and everythig was ok but in step 7 i have this :

 

Warning: fopen(c:/domains/mydomain.com/wwwroot/oscommerce/catalog/includes/configure.php): failed to open stream: Invalid argument in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 209

 

Warning: fputs(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 210

 

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 211

 

Warning: fopen(c:/domains/mydomain.com/wwwroot/oscommerce/catalog/admin/includes/configure.php): failed to open stream: Permission denied in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 259

 

Warning: fputs(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 260

 

Warning: fclose(): supplied argument is not a valid stream resource in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\install\templates\pages\install_7.php on line 261

 

The configuration was successful!

 

and when i pushed "Administration Tool" i have this :

Warning: mysql_connect(): Access denied for user: 'mysql@localhost' (Using password: NO) in c:\domains\mydomain.com\wwwroot\oscommerce\catalog\admin\includes\functions\database.php on line 19

Unable to connect to database server!

 

Vger, i know that you can help me but can you explain to me with more details the solution, please. Excuse me for my english...

 

Thanks for all

[Guest]

3. If you want your shop to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com/catalog then upload the whole of the catalog folder to the root directory of your website via FTP. If you want the site to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com then just upload all of the contents of the catalog folder, but not the folder itself.

 

 

About this step. Do I have to go file by file. It will take me forever. There must be 1000 files. Please further explain, in detail, how to upload the files w/o the catalog. I want the site to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com.......

 

Thank you very much

[Guest]

3. If you want your shop to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com/catalog then upload the whole of the catalog folder to the root directory of your website via FTP. If you want the site to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com then just upload all of the contents of the catalog folder, but not the folder itself.

 

 

About this step. Do I have to go file by file. It will take me forever. There must be 1000 files. Please further explain, in detail, how to upload the files w/o the catalog. I want the site to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com.......

 

Thank you very much

[♥Vger]

In the right window of your FTP programme make sure that you are in the root fo your web e.g. public_html, html, htdocs etc.

 

In the left window of your FTP programme (the files on your computer), open the 'catalog' folder, so that you are inside it, and select all of the folders and files and then click to upload them.

 

Sometimes FTP programmes ask for confirmation of file names being uploaded, so you should 'edit' the FTP connection to your website so that it does not ask for confirmation of each and every file name.

 

It will take a while, especially on a slow dial-up connection.

 

Vger

[samronwww]

Hi! Vger

 

I am getting this sign:-

 

The configuration files do not exist, or permission levels are not set.

 

Please perform the following actions:

cd /home11/sub002/sc17093-NOEK/www/catalog/includes/

touch configure.php

chmod 706 configure.php

cd /home11/sub002/sc17093-NOEK/www/catalog/admin/includes/

touch configure.php

chmod 706 configure.php

 

I have changed it to 777 and it is still not working

Please help.

:(

 

 

 

 

I'm posting this here so that people who need to can find a quick Installation Guide for osCommerce. It goes a bit further than the Installation Guide in the Knowledge Base.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Here's the quick install guide.

 

1. Create a blank database via your web hosting control panel.

 

2. Download the osCommerce 2.2 MS2 zip file from the downloads section of www.oscommerce.com, unzip it and extract the 'catalog' folder.

 

3. If you want your shop to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com/catalog then upload the whole of the catalog folder to the root directory of your website via FTP. If you want the site to be available at http://www.yourdomain.com then just upload all of the contents of the catalog folder, but not the folder itself.

 

4. Make sure that the permissions on all of the folders are set to 755, and if that does not work then set them to 777. Make sure that the includes/configure.php file and the admin/includes/configure.php file are set to 777 for the duration of the install. Once the install is complete reset to 644, 444, or 400 depending on your server setup.

 

5. Then go to http://www.yourdomain.com/install and begin the install procedure. Your DB Server will probably be 'localhost', your db user name and password (for mysql access) will have been provided to you by your web hosting company. The name of the database you already know - because you just set it up. Do not enable SSL, elect to store sessions in the database and not files (untick the box), and do not enable persistent connections.

 

6. After the install create a folder called 'backups' inside the 'admin' folder (via FTP), and delete the install folder. Reset permissions on the two configure.php files.

 

7. Password Protect your 'admin' folder using the Password Protect feature in your web hosting control panel.

 

Away you go!

 

Vger

[Guest]

In the right window of your FTP programme make sure that you are in the root fo your web e.g. public_html, html, htdocs etc.

 

In the left window of your FTP programme (the files on your computer), open the 'catalog' folder, so that you are inside it, and select all of the folders and files and then click to upload them.

 

Sometimes FTP programmes ask for confirmation of file names being uploaded, so you should 'edit' the FTP connection to your website so that it does not ask for confirmation of each and every file name.

 

It will take a while, especially on a slow dial-up connection.

 

Vger

First of all, thank you very much for your help. I am very grateful....

 

I am using startlogic. I do not understand about FTP. Should I use a different program like frontpage to accomplish this task of uploading the files?

 

I consider myselp pretty computer literate but I must be missing something here. When I go into publi_ftp, there is nothing. When I go into the public_html I see the oscommerce folder. Then within the oscommerce folder, I see the catalog. Startlogic does not have a function to move several files around.

 

I hope this is clear.

 

Albert

[♥Vger]

Hi, You are almost certainly hosted on a Windows server. Using FTP to reset file permissions has no effect on a Windows server, so use the File Manager in your web hosting control panel to set permissions.

 

If that does not work then enter the information into the two configure.php files yourself.

 

Vger

Hi! Vger

 

I am getting this sign:-

 

The configuration files do not exist, or permission levels are not set.

 

Please perform the following actions:

cd /home11/sub002/sc17093-NOEK/www/catalog/includes/

touch configure.php

chmod 706 configure.php

cd /home11/sub002/sc17093-NOEK/www/catalog/admin/includes/

touch configure.php

chmod 706 configure.php

 

I have changed it to 777 and it is still not working

Please help.

:(

[♥Vger]

Hi, The public_ftp folder has nothing to do with installing osCommerce. The public_html folder is the root of your web, but if you want the osCommerce website to be available in the root of your web then you need to upload the contents of the catalog folder to the root of your web, but not the folder itself. As it is at the moment your osCommerce website will only be available at http://www.yourdomain.com/oscommerce/catalog, and not at http://www.yourdomain.com

 

Vger

First of all, thank you very much for your help. I am very grateful....

 

I am using startlogic. I do not understand about FTP. Should I use a different program like frontpage to accomplish this task of uploading the files?

 

I consider myselp pretty computer literate but I must be missing something here. When I go into publi_ftp, there is nothing. When I go into the public_html I see the oscommerce folder. Then within the oscommerce folder, I see the catalog. Startlogic does not have a function to move several files around.

 

I hope this is clear.

 

Albert

[jenT]

I can go to www.mydomain.com/admin/index.php

 

This brings up the administration control panel.

 

I try to click ANY link on that page and it wants a password.

 

NONE of my passwords work.

 

I have installed from Host Department with the OSCommerce link. and did the update to 2.2

 

 

Any help is appreciate.

 

Thanks

Jennifer

[♥Vger]

FTP to your website and look for a file called .htaccess in the 'admin' folder. Rename it to txt.htaccess and then see if you can access the rest of your admin panel.

 

If you can, and if you have the ability in your web hosting control panel to password protect folders - via a Password Protection or Directory Protection link - then do this:

 

Access your website via FTP and rename the 'admin' folder to something unique.

 

Then in admin/includes/configure.php edit the two references to /admin/ to /new name/

 

Then go to your web hosting control panel and password protect the newly renamed admin folder.

 

Check that all is working okay and then delete the txt.htaccess file (not the new .htaccess file).

 

Vger

[rafro]

Hi,

 

I want to create my own Internet shop, but I don?t have any idea how to do. Since my mothertounge is german, it?s a bit hard to understand the english specifications.....How can we cooperate?

 

br rafro :P

[Guest]

Help me! Please.

 

I've got a problem setting the rights on the configure.php file.

 

Wenn i try to change it to 444 or 400, it automaticly jumps back to 644.

644 isnt the one i want, because mij index page is Warning me for a error that he is able to write into the file.

 

Anyone has a sollution?

 

i am using WSFTP Pro.

BTW. I cant use the option given by Vger in an earlier post, the one with the Unix command, because i cant seem to find it.

[♥Vger]

Deutsche Forum fur osCommerce ist hier:

 

http://forums.oscommerce.de/

 

Vger

Hi,

 

I want to create my own Internet shop, but I don?t have any idea how to do. Since my mothertounge is german, it?s a bit hard to understand the english specifications.....How can we cooperate?

 

br rafro :P

[♥Vger]

In WS FTP Pro you right-click on the file, and then go to Operations --> FTP Commands --> CHMOD (Unix). On the latest version of WS FTP Pro you right-click and select Properties.

 

If the permissions keep resettng themselves then it's likely you are on a Windows server, and CHMOD is specific to Apache web servers. In this case use the File Manager in your web hosting control panel to change permissions.

 

It may also be the case that your web hosting company, even if they use Apache servers, disallow the use of CHMOD via FTP. In which case you do this.

 

1. Create a text file on your desktop and rename it chmod.php (ignore the warning about changing the file type).

 

2. Put this code in it and upload it to the root of your osCommerce website.

 

<?php
chmod ("includes/configure.php", 0444);
?>

 

3. Then, using your browser, go to your osCommerce website e.g. http://www.yourdomain.com/chmod.php (for an install in the root of your web). You won't see anything but the permissions on that file should have been changed.

 

4. Don't leave the chmod.php file in place on your domain after using it.

 

Vger

[beckymcd]

If you have left Register Globals to 'off' in php.ini then you will have to install the Register Globals Patch Files (link below my name). It's either that or turning Register Globals to 'on' in php.ini.

 

Vger

 

To begin, thank you so much for this guide. I've been reading it over as well as the full-length installation manual, and have gained a lot of information, most of which I don't know enough about to use. I've installed Xampp and got it set up, Apache and MySql going, copied my catalog from the newest version of osCommerce, and done the localhost.com/catalog/install, which of course gives me the register_globals error message, saying it needs to be enabled. I have no idea how to enable it in php.ini - I can't find "register_globals = off" anywhere that I could change it. I downloaded your patch, but don't know how to use it. I'm very sorry, but to say I'm a newbie doesn't come close, I thought I would be able to do this okay because I created a small family website with HTML a few years back. Ha! Exactly how do I find and change it to say register_globals = on, OR how do I apply the patch? Where do I extract or copy it to, etc. By the way, am I correct in assuming that I use PHP 5 in Xampp with the newest osCommerce? I was able to change it to PHP 4, but changed it back to 5. Thanks in advance for any help. I'm sure this is only the first of many questions . . .

 

Becky :blush:

[♥Vger]

I'd advise using php4 with osCommerce.

 

As this is a local install do a search of files on your computer and locate all copies of php.ini. There's probably more than one php.ini - but the one used by XAMPP is probably in c:/Windows. Just use the Search function on the page (once opened) to find instances of 'Globals' and you'll find the one which relates to Register Globals. You then just change it from off to on. After you've done this you need to shut down Apache and restart it (click on the XAMPP icon on your desktop).

 

Vger

[beckymcd]

I'd advise using php4 with osCommerce.

 

As this is a local install do a search of files on your computer and locate all copies of php.ini. There's probably more than one php.ini - but the one used by XAMPP is probably in c:/Windows. Just use the Search function on the page (once opened) to find instances of 'Globals' and you'll find the one which relates to Register Globals. You then just change it from off to on. After you've done this you need to shut down Apache and restart it (click on the XAMPP icon on your desktop).

 

Vger

 

I did a search earlier and now once again of my C: drive for "php.ini" and for "globals." I didn't find an exact match on "php.ini" but found files called "php-ini-dist" in a couple of different xampp program files, and also "php.ini-recommended" but I can't open either of these files. I also found several "php" files that when clicked opened into Notepad - according to properties, these are configuration settings. I found three of these, one in C:\Program Files\xampp\php, one in xampp\apache\bin, and one in xampp\php\php4. I also did a search for "globals" and found grab_globals.lib, test_globals.html.phpt, and some html and tpl files that were found in xampp\php\pear\test, etc.

 

I have Xampp on and running, but used my regular Windows search function (Windows XP). I can't see any other way to search for this. So, would I change it in one of the Notepad boxes that I can open? If so, which one?? I can see that working with this program is going to make me feel like the dumbest of the dumb, I'm confused already and I haven't even got osCommerce installed . . . :( Also, the reason I asked about which version of PHP to use - my webhost has PHP 5, don't know if it's backward compatible.

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

 

Becky