Powered by Oscommerce

7 Secrets Of Cheap Web Hosting
What Web Hosting Companies Don't Want You To Know
In this report, you will learn the truth

about:
1. Unlimited Disk Space – Can you

truly get unlimited disk space when
you know hard drives cost money?
2. Unlimited Bandwidth – Are you

being cheated by companies claiming
unlimited bandwidth?
3. Limited Subdomains – When a

domain belongs to you, should the number of subdomains be
limited?
4. Limited MySQL Databases – Is your database being limited

by number and not by size?
5. Over-selling – Did you know that there are more accounts

on a server than it could handle?
6. Over-hyped Guarantees – When nothing is perfect, can

someone really guarantee you 100% uptime?
7. No WHOIS Privacy – Can you get privacy when your

WHOIS detail is not protected?
Subscribe to my blog and receive a copy of 7 Secrets Of Cheap Web

Hosting! Subscribing is free and you can unsubscribe at any time.
www.rezdwanhamid.com/subscribe/
I
Powered By osCommerce
II
Powered By osCommerce
Learn how to install osCommerce in 10 minutes or

less!
Rezdwan Hamid
www.rezdwanhamid.com
III
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works
3.0 Singapore License. To view a copy of this
license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-
nd/3.0/sg/ or send a letter to Creative Commons,
171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco,
California, 94105, USA.
IV
Table Of Contents
Preface....................................................................VI
Conventions.........................................................VI
Erratas...............................................................VII
Questions............................................................VII
Feedbacks...........................................................VII
Contact...............................................................VII
Downloads..........................................................VII
Introduction...........................................................VIII
Assumptions............................................................IX
Part 1 – Creating Database For osCommerce..................1
Step 1 – Log in to cPanel.........................................2
Step 2 – Create new database for osCommerce..........4
Step 3 – Create user for osCommerce database..........7
Step 4 – Add user to osCommerce database...............9
Part 2 – Preparing osCommerce For Installation............13
Step 1 – Download osCommerce.............................14
Step 2 – Upload osCommerce.................................16
Step 3 – Extract osCommerce.................................22
Step 4 – Prepare configure.php for osCommerce.......27
Part 3 – Installing osCommerce And Post-Installation. . . .32
Step 1 – Install osCommerce..................................33
Step 2 – Post-installation.......................................38
V
Preface
Preface
I have written this book as a guide to those who are new
to installing osCommerce. If you have never run your own
site and/or install web applications on a server, because
you find it to be a daunting task, then this book is for you.
As much as possible, I try to stay away from using too

much technical terms. Instead, I prefer to use simple
terms that anyone can understand. The step-by-step
approach along with screenshots should make installing
osCommerce a breeze even for a complete beginner.
Conventions
In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that

distinguish between different kind of information. Listed
below are some examples of those styles and an
explanation of their meaning.
Cautions – Any warnings that you need to be

aware of will look like this paragraph.
Notes – Any useful information that you may want

to know will look like this paragraph.
Tips – Any useful tips and tricks that you may be

able to apply will look like this paragraph.
In addition to the examples above, two different typefaces

will be used to describe outputs from the screen and
inputs that you will have to type in. For outputs from the
screen, the text will be in bold. For inputs that you will
need to enter, the text will be in italic.
VI
Preface
Erratas
Although I have taken every care to ensure the accuracy

of the contents, mistakes do happen. If you spot any
mistakes in this book, please report them to me by
sending me an email. By doing so, you will not only help
me improve my book but also help other readers.
Questions
This book was not meant to be a comprehensive guide for

installing osCommerce. If you have any questions
regarding the installation process, feel free to send me an
email and I will try to assist you in the best possible way
that I can.
Feedbacks
I am constantly improving my books for the benefit of the

readers. Your invaluable feedbacks is one of the ways I
can improve my books. Let me know what you like or
dislike about my books by sending me an email.
Contact
To contact me regarding any of the abovementioned

issues, please visit my site at www.rezdwanhamid.com
and click on the Contact link that is available at the top of
the page.
Downloads
A printable copy of this book is available for download at

www.rezdwanhamid.com/downloads/.
VII
Introduction
Introduction
osCommerce is an online shop e-commerce solution that
offers a wide range of out-of-the-box features that allows
online stores to be setup fairly quickly with ease, and is
available for free as an Open Source based solution
released under the GNU General Public License.
osCommerce was started in March 2000 and has since

matured to a solution that is currently powering 11,431
registered live shops around the world.
Today, osCommerce has been taken to the next level,

moving towards an e-commerce framework solution that
not only remains easy to setup and maintain, but also
making it easier for store administrators to present their
stores to their customers with their own unique
requirements.
The success of osCommerce is secured by a great and

active community where members help one another out
and participate in development issues reflecting upon the
current state of the project.
Excerpt taken from About osCommerce page.
VIII
Assumptions
Assumptions
It is impossible to cover all the different hardware,
software and server configurations that everyone may
have. Therefore, a few assumptions has been made and it
should cover the most common ones.
I am assuming that:
• your web hosting account is running on Linux.
• your web hosting account is using cPanel.
• you want to install osCommerce in a subdirectory

(such as www.domain.com/shop/).
• your web hosting account meets all the requirements

that is needed by osCommerce (such as Apache,
MySQL and PHP).
Except for the last item, the assumptions above is not

meant to serve as requirements that must be met. Other
setups will still be able to install osCommerce and the
methods may differ slightly. Most of the time, whatever
that is written in this book applies to other setups too.
It doesn't matter whether your computer is running

Windows, Mac or Linux. The instructions in this book uses
web based installation methods via a web browser (such
as Internet Explorer, Safari or Firefox).
IX
Part 1 – Creating Database For osCommerce
Part 1 – Creating Database For

osCommerce
1. Log in to cPanel
2. Create new database for osCommerce
3. Create user for osCommerce database
4. Add user to osCommerce database
1
Step 1 – Log in to cPanel
Open a web browser and log in to cPanel. The URL is

usually something like www.domain.com/cpanel/ where
domain.com is replaced with your actual domain.
Enter your username and password (that was given by

your web hosting provider) into the Authentication
Required dialog box that pops up and then click on the
OK button.
2
After logging in, you will see your cPanel home page like
the one shown above.
If this is the first time that you are logging in to

cPanel, I recommend that you change your cPanel
password. You can do that by clicking on the
Change Password button in the Preferences
group.
3
Step 2 – Create new database for

osCommerce
At the cPanel home page, scroll down until you see the
Databases group. Click on the MySQL Databases icon
like the one circled above.
4
You will now see the MySQL Databases page like the one
shown above. In the Create New Database area, type in
shop and click on the Create Database button beside it.
You can name the new database anything you want

but try to keep it short and descriptive for you to
remember later.
5
After successfully creating a new database, you will get

the Added the database username_shop. message.
Click on the Go Back link.
Your account username and an underscore

character will be prepended to the new database.
This is normal and it is not an error.
6
Step 3 – Create user for osCommerce

database
Back at the MySQL Databases page, scroll down to the

Add New User area. Type in shop for the Username and
enter a password in the Password and Password
(Again) text box. After that, click on the Create User
button.
Just like the database name, you can also name

your database user anything you want. Do note
that your account username will also be prepended
to this username.
You can create your own password or use the

Generate Password button to create one. Please
remember the password that you type in here as
you will need it later during the installation
process.
7
After successfully adding a new user, you will see the

Added user shop with the password
<yourpassword>. message. Click on the Go Back link.
8
Step 4 – Add user to osCommerce database
Back at the MySQL Databases page, scroll down to the

Add User To Database area. Ensure that the User and
Database that you have created previously is selected
and then click on the Add button.
9
At the Manage User Privileges page, click on the ALL

PRIVILEGES check box and then click on the Make
Changes button.
10
After successfully adding the user to the database, you

will see the User username_shop was added to the
database username_shop. message. Click on the Go
Back Link.
11
Back at the MySQL Databases page, you will now see

that the user has been added to the database in the
Current Databases area.
The osCommerce database is now ready for use.
12
Part 2 – Preparing osCommerce For Installation
Part 2 – Preparing osCommerce For

Installation
1. Download osCommerce
2. Upload osCommerce
3. Extract osCommerce
4. Prepare configuration.php For osCommerce
13
Step 1 – Download osCommerce
Open a new browser window or tab and go to

http://www.oscommerce.com/solutions/downloads. Click
on the oscommerce-2.2rc2a.zip link like the one
highlighted in yellow above.
At the time of this writing, the latest stable version

is osCommerce 2.2 RC 2a. This may change over
time.
14
When asked by your browser, make sure you select to

save the file to your computer and remember where it is
being saved.
15
Step 2 – Upload osCommerce
Go to your cPanel home page and scroll down to the Files

group. Click on the File Manager icon like the one circled
above.
16
If it is not already selected, click on the Web Root radio

button in the File Manager Directory Selection dialog
box that pops up. After that, click on the Go button.
17
A new browser window or tab will open showing the File

Manager page. Click on the Upload icon like the one
circled above.
18
A new browser window or tab will open showing the

Upload Files page. Click on any one of the Browse...
button.
19
Navigate to and select the osCommerce zip file that you

downloaded earlier in the File Upload window that pops
up and then click on the Open button.
20
You can now see the status of the osCommerce zip file as
it is being uploaded. Once the upload completes, click on
the Back to /home/username/public_html link.
The link might be slightly different depending on

your web hosting server setup.
21
Step 3 – Extract osCommerce
Back at the File Manager page, you will now see the
osCommerce zip file that has already been uploaded. Click
on the check box beside the osCommerce zip file icon and
then click on the Extract icon like the one circled above.
22
In the Extract dialog box that pops up, click on the

Extract File(s) button.
23
Once the osCommerce zip file has been successfully

extracted, you will be presented with the Extraction
Results dialog box. Click on the Close button.
24
In the File Manager page, double-click on the

oscommerce-2.2rc2a folder icon. You should now see all
the osCommerce files within this folder.
Click on the checkbox beside the catalog folder icon and

then click on the Move File icon like the one circled
above.
25
In the Move dialog box that pops up, change the move
path from oscommerce-2.2rc2a to shop and then click
on the Move File(s) button.
This will move the catalog folder to the root

directory and rename it to shop in one step.
26
Step 4 – Prepare configure.php for

osCommerce
In the File Manager page, click on the Reload icon like

the one circled above. You should now see a new shop
folder which contains the osCommerce files. Double-click
the shop folder icon.
27
Double-click on the includes folder icon. You should now

see the configure.php file along with other files.
Click on the checkbox beside the configure.php file and

then click on the Change Permissions icon like the one
shown above.
28
In the Change Permissions dialog box that pops up,

click on all the Write check box until the Permission box
shows up as 777. After that click on the Change
Permissions button.
29
Go back to the shop folder. Double-click on the admin

folder icon and then double-click on the includes folder
icon. You should now see the configure.php file along
with other files.
Click on the checkbox beside the configure.php file and

then click on the Change Permissions icon like the one
shown above.
30
In the Change Permissions dialog box that pops up,

click on all the Write check box until the Permission box
shows up as 777. After that click on the Change
Permissions button.
osCommerce is now ready to be installed.
31
Part 3 – Installing osCommerce And Post-Installation
Part 3 – Installing osCommerce And

Post-Installation
1. Install osCommerce
2. Post-installation
32
Step 1 – Install osCommerce
Open a new web browser window or tab and go to

www.domain.com/shop/ where domain.com is replaced
with your actual domain.
You will now see the osCommerce New Installation

page. Click on the Continue button like the one circled
above.
The Server Capabilities should all have a green tick

beside it. If not, get help from your web hosting
provider.
33
At the osCommerce Database Server page, enter the

following configurations and then click on the Continue
button like the one circled above.
• Database Server: localhost
• Username: username_shop
• Password: <yourpassword>
• Database Name: username_shop
It will take some time while the database structure

is being imported. Please wait a while and do not
click any buttons or reload the page.
34
At the osCommerce Web Server page, enter your WWW

Address and Webserver Root Directory (if it is not
automatically filled in for you).
After that click on the Continue button like the one

circled above.
35
At the osCommerce Online Store Settings page, fill in

the values for Store Name, Store Owner Name, Store
Owner E-mail Address, Administrator Username and
Administrator Password and then click on the
Continue button like the one circled above.
36
At the osCommerce Finish! page, you can either click on

the Catalog or Administration Tool button like the one
circled above.
37
Step 2 – Post-installation
Back at the File Manager page, navigate to and click on

the check box beside the install folder icon in the shop
folder and then click on the Delete button like the one
circled above.
Ensure that no other file(s) or folder(s) has been

selected.
38
At the Delete dialog box that pops up, click on the

Delete File(s) button.
If other file(s) or folder(s) are accidentally

selected, click on the Cancel button, the Reload
button and select the correct folder again before
clicking on the Delete button.
39
In the File Manager page, navigate to the includes

folder. Click on the checkbox beside the configure.php
file. After that, click on the Change Permissions icon like
the one circled above.
40
At the Change Permissions dialog box that pops up,

click on the Write and the Execute check box under
User, Group and World until the Permission box
shows up as 644. After that, click on the Change
Permissions button.
41
In the File Manager page, navigate to the admin folder

and then the includes folder. Click on the checkbox
beside the configure.php file. After that, click on the
Change Permissions icon like the one circled above.
42
At the Change Permissions dialog box that pops up,

click on the Write and the Execute check box under
User, Group and World until the Permission box
shows up as 644. After that, click on the Change
Permissions button.
43
Navigate to and click on the check box beside the

osCommerce zip file that you uploaded and the
osCommerce folder that you extracted earlier. After that
click on the Delete button like the one circled above.
Click the Delete File(s) button in the Delete dialog box

that pops up.
Congratulations! osCommerce is now installed.
44

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7 Secrets Of Cheap Web Hosting

What Web Hosting Companies Don't Want You To Know

In this report, you will learn the truth

1. Unlimited Disk Space – Can you

2. Unlimited Bandwidth – Are you

3. Limited Subdomains – When a

4. Limited MySQL Databases – Is your database being limited

5. Over-selling – Did you know that there are more accounts

6. Over-hyped Guarantees – When nothing is perfect, can

7. No WHOIS Privacy – Can you get privacy when your

Subscribe to my blog and receive a copy of 7 Secrets Of Cheap Web

Learn how to install osCommerce in 10 minutes or

As much as possible, I try to stay away from using too

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that

Cautions – Any warnings that you need to be

Notes – Any useful information that you may want

Tips – Any useful tips and tricks that you may be

In addition to the examples above, two different typefaces

Although I have taken every care to ensure the accuracy

This book was not meant to be a comprehensive guide for

I am constantly improving my books for the benefit of the

To contact me regarding any of the abovementioned

A printable copy of this book is available for download at

osCommerce was started in March 2000 and has since

Today, osCommerce has been taken to the next level,

The success of osCommerce is secured by a great and

Excerpt taken from About osCommerce page.

• your web hosting account is running on Linux.

• your web hosting account is using cPanel.

• you want to install osCommerce in a subdirectory

• your web hosting account meets all the requirements

Except for the last item, the assumptions above is not

It doesn't matter whether your computer is running

Part 1 – Creating Database For

2. Create new database for osCommerce

3. Create user for osCommerce database

4. Add user to osCommerce database

Step 1 – Log in to cPanel

Open a web browser and log in to cPanel. The URL is

Enter your username and password (that was given by

If this is the first time that you are logging in to

Step 2 – Create new database for

You can name the new database anything you want

After successfully creating a new database, you will get

Your account username and an underscore

Step 3 – Create user for osCommerce

Back at the MySQL Databases page, scroll down to the

Just like the database name, you can also name

You can create your own password or use the

After successfully adding a new user, you will see the

Step 4 – Add user to osCommerce database

Back at the MySQL Databases page, scroll down to the

At the Manage User Privileges page, click on the ALL

After successfully adding the user to the database, you

Back at the MySQL Databases page, you will now see

The osCommerce database is now ready for use.

Part 2 – Preparing osCommerce For

4. Prepare configuration.php For osCommerce

Step 1 – Download osCommerce

Open a new browser window or tab and go to

At the time of this writing, the latest stable version

When asked by your browser, make sure you select to

Step 2 – Upload osCommerce