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Posted

you have to set it up yourself unless you get a proboards forum which is generically set up

Posted

Setting it up yourself doesn't mean that you have to code it, fortunately. Usually, you can find forum kits very easily, like phpBB 2 for example, which is the one I used. You have to create a new directory in your website folder (online folder) and extract the archive in it, then read the manual CAREFULLY in order to set it up properly. Nothing impossible if you are used to browsing forums... Then, once your forum is set up and works well for you, it'll ask you to delete the install files, in order to protect it from any kind of intrusion. After this, you can add skins, mods, etc. All usually come with a complete readme file. Here's the complete procedure in a few simple steps:

 

1 ) Get a free hosting space, like freewebs, or pay for one, as you wish. Not free = better control, no ads, etc. It'll grant you protected access to an empty online directory (that is your future website location), in the which you will upload your HTML files thanks to an FTP client, such as SmartFTP. It works just like a password-protected local directory, you can drag & drop files from your desktop onto it. Your provider will give you all the informations you need to configure your client properly (FTP address, login, password, server port).

 

2 ) You have your distant folder, called "www", and it appears in your FTP client. It is empty. You can either create a website, or just put a forum in it. After all, a forum can be used for almost anything, even giving access to file download, etc. As you wish. If you'd like to create a website, I'd say go for Dreamweaver and buy a good book about it.

 

3 ) It's time to look for a forum tool to download. phpBB 2 is not bad at all. You'll have to extract the files somewhere on your HD before you upload them. In the archive, you'll find the "manual" I mentionned above, which usually comes as a HTML file. Open it with IE or Mozilla or whatever browser you use.

 

4 ) Create your "forum" sub-folder in your "www" directory, and drag-drop the freshly unzipped forum files there.

 

5 ) Note your forum's URL somewhere (let's say it's www.mynewwebsitethatrocks/forum/index.php), connect to your website with your browser, not ftp client, and go to (in our example) www.mynewwebsitethatrocks/forum/install.htm : it'll teach you how to configure your forum in a few clicks.

 

6 ) Add whichever skin or mod you want. A skin modifies the aspect, a mod adds more functions, like spellchecking or attachment management.

 

7 ) Spread the word, tell your friends about your new forum, that's it.

Posted

A lot of paid for hosts will provide you with an automated way on installing a forum, where you just type in a directory name and it'll do it all for you.

 

If you need more detailed help etc. just post back here and we'll be able to give you a damn good answer between the lot of us.

Posted
A lot of paid for hosts will provide you with an automated way on installing a forum, where you just type in a directory name and it'll do it all for you.

 

If you need more detailed help etc. just post back here and we'll be able to give you a damn good answer between the lot of us.

6395[/snapback]

 

Ah yeah, Lee's right, I forgot that. Apparently, that was the case with your own host, ain't it, CC? Well, just check that you have a RECENT version of the forum installed, otherwise, depending on how many people visit your board, you may experience security issues. I know that some hosts don't update their forum boards very often, which means it will install an old version. If you wish to download a more recent version, do it while your forum is new and almost empty, there is always a small risk of screwing up the update. I see that your forum is IPB 1.3, while there is already IPB 2.1 on their official site. Maybe it's worth a visit.

 

Anyway, install mods, skins, updates, anything you like, but do it now, before your forum gets too big. You'll get good at it pretty fast, you'll see, and if someday you really HAVE to do something a bit techy on your board, you'll minimize the risk of losing all your posts. I know what I'm talking about, unfortunately...

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