5-Minute Installation – not for me…

I have been working through my 5-minute installation for a couple of hours now — and so far not making any progress. I am attempting to run WordPress on the hosted server of BlueHost. On my website BlueHost cpanel, I used Fantastico to download WordPress.

Then I started through the instructions on the WordPress Codex. I find them pretty hard to understand — but I did my best. In the process I managed to mess up the database. So, I tried to reinstall WordPress and start from scratch. But I keep getting the message that BlueHost is already on the root directory — and I can’t install it again. I have tried deleting it — but evidently I haven’t succeeded.

I sent a note to BlueHost support, but after a couple of hours, I have received no response.

Meanwhile, the problem I was having when I managed to run into database problems was the step of creating the wp-config.php file. Where am I supposed to be finding the “sample” file to modify? I can’t find it anywhere.

I know absolutely nothing about SQL or PHP. That’s one of the reasons I chose WordPress — all the literature said it was real easy to get up and running.

Not for me. If anybody out there can help me — I would be very grateful.

They use CPanel:
https://www.tamba2.org.uk/wordpress/cpanel/

If you need the config file, it’s available by downloading WordPress from this site and unzipping it.

Fantastico should have installed it though ?

I used Fantastico to download WordPress.

That sounds weird. With Fantastico you just click and it will install it, and you don’t have to download anything.

Maybe Fantastico DID install it, and I just couldn’t find it. I looked under File Manager, but didn’t see such a file there. Where should I be looking?

“a file”?
There are many-many files and 4 folders, if the install was successful. But without seeing what’s on your server nobody can tell what to look for. Fantastico usually asks where to install it – if I remember well. (Did only once, out of curiousity ??

What about the instructions in WordPress Codex installation about finding the wp-config.php file and making some changes to the data in that file? It says to find the sample config file and change it. I can’t find either any config file — sample or otherwise.

If Fantastico did the install, the config doesn’t need changes.

Try entering the address to your blog into your browser addy bar. You should have an email with that info, sent after the Fantastico install completed. It would be something like “www.yoursite.com/wp/” or similar….

Fantastico is one thing – it does everything automatically for those that don’t want or cannot install WP manually.
All the instructions are for manual> installation.

So, pick one: Fantastico or manual ??

Aha. One sentence to that effect in the Installation instructions would have saved me the last three hours of confusion. OK. I guess I’m installed — I’ll just move on to the next step. Thanks very much for the help.

Best of luck to you then….

No, the problem is nobody reads carefully nowadays … ??
This is the first sentence in my cPanel, in the Fantastico section:
“Use Fantastico to automatically install any of the scripts listed on the left.”
[emphasis added]

Lemme ask you this. As I explained above, I originally installed WordPress to my root directory, and then I accidentally deleted the database. I thought I would solve the problem by reinstalling — but it wouldn’t let me (“can’t install to root directory — WP already installed to root directory”). So I went in to File Manager and tried to delete all of the WP files, so I could reinstall. But it still wouldn’t let me.

I have managed to reinstall now — by downloading WP to a different directory. But I would like it to be in my root directory. Can I move what I have downloaded into the root directory now? If so, how? Am I going to run into the same problem (“can’t install to root directory, WP already there”)? If so, how do I clear the root directory of the first install — so I can move over the second install?

I realize I have made this about 10 times harder than it’s supposed to be. A real WP newbie. Like getting stuck in a ditch, and every attempt to back out just digs me in worse.

Please advise.