I will try to summarize the installation issues and solutions in this document.

This is a checklist before reporting issues in the forum:

1. Check you are running PHP5.

PHP4 is no longer supported by the developers of PHP and we are therefore not going to support either. Whilst Joom!Fish 2.0 RC could run on PHP4, the stable release will not be able to do so. Check PHP version by going to the Joomla! Administration -> Help -> System Info.

If your server is running PHP4, check with your provider how to configure your site to run PHP5 (it is possible that your webhost offers both PHP4 and PHP5 but defaults to PHP4).  If this is not possible then ask for the version of PHP to be upgraded - if the webhost refuses you should change your hosting company.  Seriously, there is no better solution.

PHP Group stopped supporting PHP4 from August 2008 and we don't see any reason to do that as well.  The situation is comparable to running a computer on Windows 95.  If your hosting doesn't want to upgrade and you can't hosting company, please just don't post to our forum.  We can't provide you support in the same way that Microsoft no longer provides support for Windows 95.

2. Check if all required folders are in green.

Go to Joomla! Administration -> Help -> System Info -> Directory Permissions. If there is something in red, use via FTP or ssh and CHMOD the directories to be writable. YES, IT IS REQUIRED. Joomla! doesn't do these checks if these were not necessary.

3. Check if the owner of the files/folders is Apache or the FTP user or the PHP user.

This is a very common issue in the old versions (even in some new) of cPanel. Joom!Fish requires that the "server user" running the installer of Joomla! is the same as the files/folder owner (usually the FTP user or the cPanel user). If the owner is "Apache" or "www-run" (etc) , please contact your hosting provider to change it.

4. If you are uncertain about point 3, try the following

Try installing with your configuration as it is at the moment. If it doesn't works, go to Joomla! configuration and enable/disbale the FTP option (turn it to the opposite as it is) and try new install. If it still doesn't works, it is NOT a Joom!Fish issue, it is a CHMOD/CHOWN issue, which depends on the hosting provider.

If you did this and still have issues, than report it in the forum. In order to avoid any further confusion, so far from about 200 reports related to installation 100% (yes, no exceptions) were related to the the simple 4 points above. Any of this points is Joom!Fish related, but server/hosting related.