If you are installing Joomla on your 1and1 hosting account please make sure you read this thread on the Joomla forums. If you are having problems getting the install to work with PHP errors or if you are having problems with Internal Server Errors (error 500) after your install works you have to make sure your .htaccess file in the root of your installation folder is properly configured. (And you must call it .htaccess with permissions 0755, not htaccess.txt!)
Namely you must
1) make sure PHP v5 is used (rather than v4). This code will make that work:
## One and One force PHP5 setting
AddType x-mapp-php5 .php
## END - One and One PHP 5 Settings
2) make sure the Rewrite Base directive is set
RewriteBase /
Here's a copy of my .htaccess file if you need to replace yours and give it a try, in case it works. Note you may need to rename htaccess.txt to .htaccess before it works.
Also note that remote MySQL administration (like MySQL Workbench) DOES NOT work with 1and1. You will need to use 1and1's web based interface to administer your MySQL. I have also not figtured out a way to browse the Joomla logs directory other than to FTP in to my server and read it directly rather than navigating to myjoomlasite.com/logs.
This thread, while long, can be useful if you can make out the signal from the noise. The major steps are
- download the joomla .zip file
- setup a home directory for your joomla install
- point a subdomain at this directory in 1and1 control panel
- upload the .zip file there and uncompress it to get the install directory
- edit the htaccess.txt and rename it to .htaccess and make the edits above
- create the MySQL database in the 1and1 MySQL Administration settings
- note the particulars for your MySQL database once it has been created - you must get all this information right
- hit the subdomain created in #3 above and follow the installation wizard -- you will provide your database credentials here
- if all is well you will have a working Joomla site sample (aadev.newpathconsulting.com for example).