In HotStart installation instructions, you will read "unzip and upload". When we tell you to upload, we are not telling you to randomly upload HotStart files anywhere on your server. Please upload to an empty directory that is accessible via web browser (it's usually inside public_html or httpdocs directory)! Not all directories of your hosting space are accessible via web browser.
Your hosting provider advertise Joomla auto-installer? Don't use it please!
Do not install Joomla using auto-installers provided by hosting providers! You can use them if you are installing template with Standard installation method (it does not copy demo data). For HotStart installation method (template + demo data), those installers simply can't do the job!
Make sure you know WHERE you're uploading! Clean the target first!
In HotStart installation instructions, you will read "unzip and upload". When we tell you to upload, we are not telling you to randomly upload HotStart files anywhere on your server. Please upload to an empty directory that is accessible via web browser (it's usually inside public_html or httpdocs directory)! Not all directories of your hosting space are accessible via web browser.
Please do not upload HotStart files over existing files and directories left from older Joomla or non-Joomla installation! Clean it first!
If you are claiming problems with HotStart installation of our templates (template + demo data), we will first check your site link. It must be public. We can't help with installations in local computer because we can't access your server. If we can't locate problem, we will ask you to privately send us FTP access.
Usually, when we access web hosting space of the person who's claiming installation problems, we can see nothing but mess! Zillions of files and directories randomly uploaded anywhere in web hosting space. Parts of Joomla here are there could be found as well.
This will not work like that! First of all your must learn how to use your FTP software. Then you must organize your files and directories inside your hosting space. Finally, you should decide where you would install our template and create an EMPTY folder for the installation. If it would be installed in the site root (www.yoursitename.com), public root directory (usually public_html or httdocs) must be emptied before uploading.
Remember! Uploading could be a long process! Make sure it's done properly!
Finally, you upload. Uploading of clean Joomla as well as uploading of our HotStart installation files (it's nothing but modified Joomla) could be a long process! During that process, errors may occur. There are over 4.000 items (directories and files) in Joomla. You must be sure that everything is uploaded correctly and completely. FTP software will handle that automatically, you should just wait, but check your FTP software log for possible errors that could cause problems with installation. Repeat entire uploading process if needed. If your hosting is based on cPanel, you can upload faster. Please follow this video.
Once you finished uploading process (or you think you finished), the target directory should have structure like this (valid for Joomla 1.5.x):
<ADMINISTRATOR>
<CACHE>
<COMPONENTS>
<IMAGES>
<INCLUDES>
<INSTALLATION> (should be deleted after installation manually through FTP)
<LANGUAGE>
<LIBRARIES>
<LOGS>
<MEDIA>
<MODULES>
<PLUGINS>
<TEMPLATES>
<TMP>
<XMLRPC>
CHANGELOG.php
COPYRIGHT.php
CREDITS.php
INSTALL.php
LICENSE.php
LICENSES.php
configuration.php (will be created after installation automatically)
configuration.php-dist
htaccess.txt
index.php
index2.php
robots.txt
If you're missing any element, delete everything and upload all over again. It's easier that searching for what you're missing. Remember, there are over 4.000 elements inside this structure.
If you see any element not listed here, backup it somewhere else or delete it. If you can't delete it, this could be a system file/directory, so you can leave it.