Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is

[rremde]

I am installing the latest build of Joomla 1.5 on a GoDaddy Dedicated Linux server (not shared hosting). I have 2 burps: one is that for some reason, on my fresh server install, on the pre-install check, in the recommended settings, Display errors is set to OFF.

The rest goes until I get to the FTP configuration, where I get the following when I try to validate the path:

Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is invalid.

I get the same error message when I try to load sample data. The access to mySQL is fine, but I have NO clue on getting past this error message!

[meiklejohn]

Yeah, I have this problem, too.... anybody know the score here?

[rremde]

I have a call into Go Daddy over this - The rep I am dealing with thinks that he heard about a work-around for this (apparently this is an ongoing issue). He's off on Sunday and Monday, but has promised to get back to me on this. If I get a good work around for this, I'll post it here - obviously we're not the only 2 dedicated hosting clients on earth trying to install 1.5....

[maujoom]

I'm not with GoDaddy, but I've got the same problem. Apparently, a lot of functions like getNullDate() and quote() are not defined and the whole installation process aborts with errors pointing to these functions.

[Sincerity]

I have the exact same issue! Dedicated server hosted by Amenworld - Fedora Core 4 + PLESK 8.3

[Quads]

I
Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is invalid.

Search the forum. It's discussed several times and how to fix.

[Sincerity]

naaa... bored with FLAWla...

drupal up and running and its so lovely!

[rremde]

I
Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is invalid.

Search the forum. It's discussed several times and how to fix.

I did search the forum - the fixes suggested don't work - mostly because the tables never get created in SQL - so creating a config file manually is pointless, etc. etc. etc.

These are problems I would expect in the pre-release versions, but not a stable production release. IMO (and it's just my opinion) a production release is ready for users that aren't necessarily coders. 1.5 CAN be that in some cirucumstances ( I got it running on a go Daddy shared hosting account), but it doesn't seem to be quite ready for prime time.

1.5 is a great platform, and I hope to get it working on my server.

[humvee]

These are problems I would expect in the pre-release versions, but not a stable production release. IMO (and it's just my opinion) a production release is ready for users that aren't necessarily coders. 1.5 CAN be that in some cirucumstances ( I got it running on a go Daddy shared hosting account), but it doesn't seem to be quite ready for prime time.
1.5 is a great platform, and I hope to get it working on my server.

Would suggest trying a manual install of Joomla! rather the Web Browser install, creating the tables and uploading the sample data manually may well overcome the issue.

hth

Andy

[yow778]

Dear All,

I encountered the same problem 2 days ago and managed to solved it yesterday (20080220). Followings are the software which I'm using:

Ubuntu 6.10 (Linux ubuntu-610 2.6.17-10-server)
Apache2 (2.0.55-4ubuntu4)
MySQL Server (5.0.24a-9)
PHP5 (5.1.6-1ubuntu2.7)

What you should do is simply ignore the warning regarding configuration.php during the web based installation. Do not do this: mv configuration.php-dist configuration.php

After the installation is completed, you just copy the contents of configuration.php which is displayed on the last page of the installation process and then create/paste into configuration.php. It's not necessary to chmod configuration.php

Be aware when you create configuration.php, make sure the character/text encoding is correct and that you use a text editor which support the encoding you want. Also, do not leave any white space at the top nor the bottom of the file (cf. http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f=236&t=236). This solution works for either Joomla 1.5.1 or Joomla 1.0.14.

If you are installing Joomla 1.0.14, perhaps you need to modify globals.php as shown below:
define( 'RG_EMULATION', 1 ); -> define( 'RG_EMULATION', 0 );

Please let me or everyone else knows if there's any problem with my suggestions or any other/better solutions.

HTH.
kcyow
p.s. If I remember correctly, you may encounter the following error messages when you try to solve the aforementioned problem:

Warning: require_once(/path/to/joomla/install/includes/version.php) [function.re
quire-once]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /var/www/yow778
_org/includes/joomla.php on line 71

Fatal error: require_once() [function.require]: Failed opening required '/path/t
o/joomla/install/includes/version.php' (include_path='.:/usr/share/php:/usr/shar
e/pear') in /var/www/yow778_org/includes/joomla.php on line 71

[ttiger]

I got the same error on two installations last week, one on my local test server and one on the live server.

Thought I would try and replicate the error today while I had some time to look into it but murphy's law applied and it didn't happen!

Only different thing I done was start the install and when the choose language page appeared, uploaded a blank configuration.php file to the root and chmod to 777

Clicked on next to the pre-installation check with everything showing green but then deleted the blank configuration.php file from root (previous install when I got the error, I let it there) and it let me proceed to the end with a normal install and the installer wrote a new configuration.php file.

Edit: Just as an after thought I wonder if it would work if you didn't have a writeable configuration.php file there from the start and ignored the warning in the pre-installation check. As long as the installation folder was writeable, then the installer should create a config file.

[yow778]

As I stated in my previous post, the installation will succeed and work if configuration.php is not writable. In fact, I didn't create an empty configuration.php at the beginning but only created it during that last stage of the web based installation via copy&paste (I was not aware that the installer would create configuration.php for me automatically?!). I've tried to chmod configuration.php to 0666 and it worked, but, it works as well when it's not writable, i.e. chmod 0644.

[reanimator]

Ok. I was fighting with this issue on my server too. Actually the problem is with permissions on your the root folder, not server root , , but home direcory where your Joomla! is. Some plugins require more permissions than 750 set by default on many unix servers. So, the solution is: make sure that you have 755 set on your home directory . Enjoy !

[kray]

I got the same error on two installations last week, one on my local test server and one on the live server.

Thought I would try and replicate the error today while I had some time to look into it but murphy's law applied and it didn't happen!

Only different thing I done was start the install and when the choose language page appeared, uploaded a blank configuration.php file to the root and chmod to 777

Clicked on next to the pre-installation check with everything showing green but then deleted the blank configuration.php file from root (previous install when I got the error, I let it there) and it let me proceed to the end with a normal install and the installer wrote a new configuration.php file.

Edit: Just as an after thought I wonder if it would work if you didn't have a writeable configuration.php file there from the start and ignored the warning in the pre-installation check. As long as the installation folder was writeable, then the installer should create a config file.

Thanks! Worked for me too. Greatly appreciate. Too bad I still can't install anything

[theChronic]

This worked for me: http://my-verio-vps.[URL banned].com/2008/0 ... t-was.html

let me know if it works for ya

John

[phatrick]

SEe: http://forum.joomla.org/viewtopic.php?f ... 4#p1304534

[muddauber]

Get following message during install trying to install sample data.

Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is invalid

Tried skipping the install of sample data and got the following errors:

Notice: Undefined index: DBtype in /usr/www/users/myaccountinstallation/installer/models/model.php on line 764

Fatal error: Call to undefined method JException::getNullDate() in /usr/www/users/myaccount/installation/installer/helper.php on line 290

Tried a staggered FTP(verfied) install again fi there were corrupted files during transfer. No Luck

Trying to install sample data I get error
#1146 - Table 'mydatabase_joomla.#__banner' doesn't exist
even though it successfully created a datbase

After the install with the root at 777, what is the best setting to change it to? 755 or 750

[muddauber]

I'm gonna answer my own post, as I figured it out. Hope this helps others.

Looking at the in trying to manually install the sample data, I noticed the filename
was truncated. Even though I didn't see any error message when creating the database,
it was a likely culprit. So I recreated a shorter database file name and the install processed
without a hitch.

Lesson - Keep filenames short, when possible. Everything from the internal and external
scripts may have set limits on the length,which could cause problems down the road.

[andrei048]

Installing without the configuration.php worked for me

[humvee]

Installing without the configuration.php worked for me

Which is exactly what the installation instructions say to do...

[Firebride]

I
Error: the XML response that was returned from the server is invalid.

Search the forum. It's discussed several times and how to fix.

What worked for me was deleting my current database and user in the domain Control Panel, and creating a new database. I went through the installation steps without an error message this time round.

Why it worked i don't know, but it did.

[webmystery]

Dude, I had this problem and I did RTM. It says that you have the option to install without making the configuration file writeable, but not that installation will fail if you do. I am reasonably competent with this sort of thing, and followed the instructions as any reasonable person would interpret them, yet I spent 20 min ripping my hair out trying to figure out what was wrong with my FTP settings (apparently nothing). I almost got my installation to work but will apparently have to nuke the DB and start over because no admin login was created. It is frustrating enough without begin presumed to be a dweeb when we come to the forum trying to figure things out. Thanks for writing the manual

[webmystery]

Solved it! All I had to do was delete configuration.php, re-upload the installation files, and run the installation again. didn't have to recreate the db or any of the files

yow778 had it figured out - Do NOT rename configuration.php-dist to configuration.php and make it writeable - the installer doesn't like it - I suspect it reads the FTP info in that file instead of using the new user input - thus the error. OK humvee, mea culpa. I guess that adding steps that are not in the instructionsl makes me a dweeb. When you install Wordpress you are supposed to rename their sample config file and use it in the installation. I know what it means when I assume, then again, it looks like enough other people have made the identical mistake, and that points to some not-user-friendliness on the part of the installer.

[humvee]

Solved it! All I had to do was delete configuration.php, re-upload the installation files, and run the installation again. didn't have to recreate the db or any of the files

yow778 had it figured out - Do NOT rename configuration.php-dist to configuration.php and make it writeable - the installer doesn't like it - I suspect it reads the FTP info in that file instead of using the new user input - thus the error. OK humvee, mea culpa. I guess that adding steps that are not in the instructionsl makes me a dweeb. When you install Wordpress you are supposed to rename their sample config file and use it in the installation.,

Nope not a dweeb at all we all do it at one point or another

I know what it means when I assume, then again, it looks like enough other people have made the identical mistake and that points to some not-user-friendliness on the part of the installer.

Not sure I understand how this assumption comes about.
The Installation and (I hope) the documentation are User friendly albeit not perfect.
The mistake is assuming all programs are the same. There are far more people that do not experience it we obviously you just don't hear from them

[BadOPCode]

I have been struggling with this one for awhile and after I got it to work I went back and figured exactly what is the minimal thing it takes to get it work. Here is what i came up.
Before I put Joomla files on the server, I chmod Joomla root directory to 707.
than I extracted the files from the zip file directly to the designated Joomla directory.
Opened my browser to the site and it was all green lights without ever doing anything at all regarding configuration.php. Everything through out the installation worked as supposed to.

Not claiming this is the definitive answer but it worked good for me.

[sea_borne]

It comes about because the first page to the installer insinuates that you should cp the configuration file.

[BadOPCode]

actually it only insinuates that if the webserver doesn't have write permission to the Joomla root directory. If it has full read/write permission to the root directory the configuration.php bullet is green even though at the moment there is no configuration.php to write to. The installer will generate one instead.
My thought is maybe the configuration.php-dist has some bad settings that everyone is over looking. As the installer generated one works flawless. I don't know but i'm betting you can after install maybe switch back to 705 (or 755) after install. and than change the configuration.php to 707.
I don't know. To be honest i'm too lazy to bother finding out since its working now for me i'll leave it 707.

[Vampy]

So no final solution from the Joomla! developers? .. ... .....

I have encountered the same problem with the installation of Joomla! 1.5, and tried all solutions above, and none worked.
Any other possibilities of success, or am I just wasting my time?

Thank you !

Later Edit : Uf, I'm getting sick and tired of deleting, uploading, trying to install again and again......

[Vampy]

Sorry for the double post!

I have managed to get it to work, finally !

I gave 777 to the httpdocs root folder, and it has installed successfully! This is the third time I do this, but heh, one out of three is something.

So, my advice to anyone that encounters this problem is not to give up, but to try one solution a lot of times.

Cheers to all !

PS: Try not to make a new configuration.php file. Leave all the files the same, just CHMOD 777 the root folder of your domain, or subdomain (in my case) .

[humvee]

do not chmod everything to 777 you are opening your site up to anyone who has access to the host server which is not recommended!
Typically directories should be 755 files 644 and configuration.php 444 after completing configuration changes.
You may well also benefit from checking out the Installation Manual and the Absolute Beginners Guide to Joomla! to find your solution. Many of these introductory questions are dealt with.
If these are not able to answer your problem then ask your question in these forums.