Question Where do I open the forum?

sozzled wrote:

The answer depends on where you are hosting your server. There are "difficulties" in creating a .htaccess file on a Microsoft webserver. Are you running your website on a Microsoft Windows platform? I'm sorry, I don't know anything about JustHost, where it is or what it does.

It's using Linux.

You can rename your files with a FTP client program like FileZilla ( filezilla-project.org/ ) or you can rename your file using a cPanel "File Manager" tool (make sure you check the box marked "show hidden files). I use FileZilla.

sozzled wrote:

You can rename your files with a FTP client program like FileZilla ( filezilla-project.org/ ) or you can rename your file using a cPanel "File Manager" tool (make sure you check the box marked "show hidden files). I use FileZilla.

Wow, I went to htaccess, and it was already changed to .htaccess, it made the URL shorter. But now I get 404 denied access when I go to the URL. What now?

You will need to redo the Kunena forum menu item as described to you by DTP2:

Go to your websites back-end
Go to Menu, Main menu, find your existing menu link to the forum and edit that item
Change the menu type: In the list that appears should be one called Kunena
Click that one, give it the name forum and save it.

sozzled wrote:

Who knows what was in that .htaccess file. From the sounds of it, this was whatever was created by JustHost. It's possible that that .htaccess file wasn't developed for your version of Joomla.

My suggestion to you:

1. Can you locate the file htaccess.txt? This file is shipped with a standard installation of Joomla; it is possible that JustHost has installed a customised version of Joomla. If you cannot locate this file download the J! 1.5.14 installation kit from www.joomla.org/announcements/release-new...a-1514-released.html ; extract the htaccess.txt file from the .ZIP archive and upload it to your website with FileZilla.
2. Rename your current .htaccess file to something else, like htaccess.old and then rename your htaccess.txt to .htaccess
3. Check if this makes any difference.
4. If no change, please read again, carefully, the information given in Search engine optimization (SEO) in the Wiki.

It's also possible that your hosting site may not support the Joomla SEO/SEF functionality. You may need to discuss this with them.

Now I am getting a bunch more problems. I made the link to the forum on my page, and it went to: URL/index.php/forum, and it was some weird white page, so I deleted that, then I made another forum, and now the entire website says Error:404. I am going to uninstall, then reinstall joomla, and see where that gets me.

There's no need to reinstall Joomla (yet) - that's like cracking an acorn with a sledgehammer. Revert the SEO changes that you make (Global configuration) and you should then get access back to your website.

Make the changes systematically and carefully ... one by one ... don't panic and you'll be fine.

Alternatively, if you want I could look at this for you. PM me with site URL, administrator access account name and password and I'll see what I can do for you.