New to Vbulletin/Operating Websites (help me start a noob walkthrough)

[MikeEagle12]

Alright, first of all let it be known to all that I am almost a total noob. I have very little html/server/hosting knowledge, and am thinking about what seems to me, to do the impossible haha. Currently I own and operate bikecoalition.com. It's a bike community forum that I created, well sort of. I bought the domain name, and the company did the rest. The only thing I did, was use the tools to create it to my liking. Very simple stuff, don’t even know how the hosting/server works.

Recently I've been working on another idea, and need a front page that will allow me to have articles, picture galleries, other pages, and a forum. From what everyone has told me, vbulletin is the only way to go. So here I am asking for anyone and everyone that can help me through the process of starting with my domain, and eventually getting it to a final community site.

I just recently bought a domain name from cheapnames.com. So where do I go from here? Get hosting? or buy the license. Appreciate any help you guys can give me. Just got done with finals, and am ready to really bunker down and get this things going.

(sry if this is in the wrong area, couldn't narrow down my topic enough and figured this is the best place to get a little bit of information from everything.

[simsim]

Start ahead by trying out vBulletin yourself. Check its administrative control panel & experiment with setting options, adding forums & sub-forums, styling forum's look, etc.:
http://www.vbulletin.com/admindemo.php

[MikeEagle12]

Should I get the instalation package for the server? Or is it pretty self explanitory if I am going to be paying for hosting through a company? Like I said I dont' really know how to get something online at all.

[simsim]

Installing vBulletin is pretty easy. You only need to edit a single file, upload the vBulletin files folder via a FTP client (FTP is a protocol for transferring files in the Internet) to your hosting account & run the installation script which will guide through the rest of the process.

I just want to tell you not to freak out. Running a website is a very interesting endeavor through which you'll learn lots of new things. While it's not a rigorous task, it's also ain't like eating Jell-O. It's a great learning experience. :)

[MikeEagle12]

The first step towards running vBulletin after you have purchased a license is to download the latest vBulletin package, upload it to your web server and run the installer script.

The following documents will take you through this process step-by-step.

Note:
Before installing vBulletin you need to have PHP and MySQL and have created a database within the MySQL engine to hold vBulletin's data.

I was looking over the manual and it starts off by saying this? What exaclty does this entail? Is this only if you are running your own server? Or do I not have to worry about this if I am using a hosting service, possibly hostgator?

[MikeEagle12]

oh and I really appreciate your help buddy :)

Also, just personally, what hosting service do you recommend for starting out. I'm betting on the website growning pretty fast for the first few weeks so I may need to upgrade capacity if I start to low.

[simsim]

No, the host would take care of the PHP & MySQL parts, however, you'll have to create the database yourself. It's a bloody easy task, as registering in these forums. You give a database a name, a user & a password. That's all. The vBulletin installation script populates it with the needed data to get the forum up & running.

[simsim]

oh and I really appreciate your help buddy :)

Also, just personally, what hosting service do you recommend for starting out. I'm betting on the website growning pretty fast for the first few weeks so I may need to upgrade capacity if I start to low.
Don't mention it.

As for hosting, I'm a satisfied customer of A Small Orange (http://www.asmallorange.com), and recommend them for everyone I know.

[MikeEagle12]

Don't mention it.

As for hosting, I'm a satisfied customer of A Small Orange (http://www.asmallorange.com), and recommend them for everyone I know.

Looking into them now, man am I excited to get this project going. I've been working on ideas/outline for awhile now and finally have some time to get it togethor.

I'll be back haha

[simsim]

Wish you all the success. Don't forget to check out vB's AdminCP demo.

[Redseal]

I forget who made it, but there used to be a PHP script for creating a config.php file. Anyone remember the link to it.

[Floris]

That would be me, it's here: https://www.vBulletin-Setup.com/

At the thread starter, we're looking forward having you as a customer, please let us know where you are planning to run your vb forum? When it's up and running I am sure we don't mind having a look to see how far you've come :)

[MikeEagle12]

Alright, I just changed the DNS. When will I know I can go ahead and purchase vbulletin and set it up? Said it takes 24-48 hours to be completly online or propagate worldwide. Should I use hostgators cpanel file manager to set it up or a Ftp


Oh and after looking through a bunch of hosts I finally decided to go with hostgator.

[simsim]

You can purchase vBulletin right away. No need to wait until DNS resolves hostnames. You can reach your website via its IP address. If Hostgator gave you a cPanel account, your site could be reached at:
http://your.ip.address.here/~cpanel-usernme (the ~ is mandatory).

And you should upload vBulletin using FTP, or more preferably SSH, but that is another story. Stick with FTP for your first online encounter. ;)

[MikeEagle12]

What FTP would you recommend for someone like me?

[Floris]

What FTP would you recommend for someone like me?
Once you completed your purchase we can provide you with full instructions. You're currently showing up unlicensed so we can't provide you with any further support.

[MikeEagle12]

I'm at the girlfriends right now, but as soon as I get back to my place in couple hours I'll go ahead and buy the license.

[MikeEagle12]

Alright I just got done changine the config files, and now am looking at the http://files.vbulletin.com/doc_images/vb_logo_small.gif (http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/main/mysqli) MySQLi section of the manual and am starting to get a little confused. I'm using hostgator, do I need to make any changes?

it is 4.1.22-standard Mysql
PHP version4.4.4

[Steve Machol]

To get vB support on these forums you first need to be a licensed customer and register for Priority Forum Support. To do this, please go here:

http://members.vbulletin.com/membersupport_priority.php

...and enter your email address in one of the boxes. You'll need to have your customer number and password to access the page.

Once you've done this, please post in the appropriate support forum for your version.