When attempting to set up the database after hitting "Go" I get 'internal server error'

no php error log is generated, but the apache error log says :

Premature end of script headers: setup.php, referer: http://zen.localhost/zp-core/setup.php

This happens on a php 5.3.1 system, apache 2.2.14, mysql 5.5m2 (also tried mysql 5.1, same problem)

I've been able to install wordpress, drupal 6 test installs without issue so the server appears to be well configured.

It gets as far as creating :

zp_administrators, zp_admintoalbum, zp_albums, zp_captcha, zp_comments, zp_images, zp_obj_to_tag, zp_options, zp_tags, zp_zenpage_news, zp_zenpage_news2cat, zp_zenpage_news_categories, zp_zenpage_pages

in the database.

the only errors on the install page before hitting go are :

'PHP setlocale() failed
Warning!
Locale functionality is not implemented on your platform or the specified locale does not exist. Language translation may not work.
See the troubleshooting guide on zenphoto.org for details.'

and I leave 'File/Folder Permissions [are loose (0777)]' as it fails to change them if I try swap to strict (it's a windows apache install on a dev box)

You haven't mentioned the zenphoto version, a critical thing for this kind of question.

However, internal server errors are typically caused by file permissions. For instance, some servers will not execute script code from folders with permissions that allow anyone to write to them. (IMHO a good policy.)

Not the case on this machine or other scripts would also have failed to install. I have also checked that it isn't an exception for the directory I was trying to use for zenphoto also.

I installed apache, php and mysql myself as I have done many times, it's a near-default install with no heavy security settings as it's an entirely offline server just used for development.

Well, you say that setup fails to change the security settings if you set them to strict. This certainly is an indication that "something" is more restrictive than necessary on this installation.

Ok, when I have both ownership and FULL permissions on all the files and folders in my web servers root directory, c:\web and i attempt to complete the settup it fails as detailed above when left on 'loose'.

when attempting to move it to strict it fails to change the permissions on all but the locale folders.

[code]

Zenphoto core file permissions [not correct]

Warning!

Setup could not set the one or more components to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

.htaccess file (RewriteEngine is ON)

.htaccess RewriteBase is /

robots.txt file [Not created] Notice! click for details

Notice!

Setup did not create a robots.txt file because one already exists.

albums folder [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

cache folder [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

locale folders

uploaded folder [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

zp-data folder [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

HTML cache folder (cache_html) [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.

Third party plugins folder (plugins) [permissions failure]

Warning!

Setup could not set the folder to the selected permissions level. You will have to set the permissions manually. See the Troubleshooting guide for details on Zenphoto permissions requirements.
[/code]

Well, the code zenphoto uses is the same for all its attempts to change permissions, so I guess your site is still "protecting" you from yourself. Anyway, these seem to be all warnings. So as long as Zenphoto works you can ignore them. If Zenphoto does not work you will have to set the permissions manually as indicated by the warning.

I'm not concerned about the site permissions warning, i'm concerned that zenphoto does not complete populating the database due to 'Premature end of script headers'

I was simply trying to give you as much information as available about any errors/warnings in the hope that you can identify why zenphoto is the only site I have tried that refuses to complete the database population stage of it's install process.

I do not believe the site is 'protecting me from myself' as it is a default apache install with php 5.3.1 that I installed and configured myself (very minor config changes unrelated to security), and I have installed and run happily drupal 6.15, wordpress 2.9.1, phpmyadmin 3.2.5.

for each CMS/ site I test I give it it's own database on my localhost mysql server, with one login with full permissions to that database.

All the sites being tested are installed with full file/folder permissions, I modify them later only if necessary for testing.

nb. as I have been writing this post I have also installed joomla 1.5.1.5 without issue.

zenhphoto is currently the only site that is failing to install and run, so it seems very much to me the problem is more likely to be an issue with zenphoto and not my test system.

Well, I also have no idea. I have successfully installed 1.2.8 on at least two standard shared hosts without any problems recently. Did you check if the files did upload correctly? Maybe some has gone corrupt for whatever reason?

Quote:zenhphoto is currently the only site that is failing to install and run, so it seems very much to me the problem is more likely to be an issue with zenphoto and not my test system.
I might alow point out that your seem to be in the minority of people using zenphoto. People who have got their server configured so that zenphoto can access the database and so that zenphoto has control over all its files and folders have all succeeded in installing. That you have not is an indication that there is something in your configuration that is causing the problem. We have suggested that since zenphoto is giving warnings bout permissions the issue is most likely to do with those.

However, if you feel this is not the case I must presume you know better than I. Therefore I can be of no help.