Fatal error running install.php

It is trying to include and validate the admin-functions.php file in your wp-admin directory under the directory you have the WordPress folder (blog folder) or the root directory. Check to make sure that your admin-functions.php file is under the wp-admin folder under the WordPress root directory.

Thanks for your reply.

I assume when you say “WordPress root directory” you mean my “recover” directory which is my blog folder \recover (short for Recover the Future). It contains the root files I downloaded from WordPress plus my wp-config.php file and 3 folders. The complete path to the three folders is:
– \recover\wp-admin
– \recover\wp-content
– \recover\wp-includes

It also contains an “under construction” index.html file which is what opens if you enter https://recoverthefuture.org/ in a browser. If you enter https://recoverthefuture.org/wp-admin/install.php, then you get the fatal error message.

The wp-admin folder DOES contain the admin-functions.php file. I re-uploaded it just to make sure there wasn’t a glich in the first FTP process. Still the same message.

I’d consider reuploading your WordPress files. Might even delete all the WordPress files (except for wp-config.php) first then reupload the files.

I’ve had good luck using FileZilla on 1and1.com hosts to upload files.

You need your index.php running to do the install.
Rename your index.html file to something like oldindex.html – then run the install link.
Should work.

edit – if that doesn’t wok do as MichaelH says – you may have a corrupted file in the download/upload process.

Thanks to you both!
I renamed the index.html file and it didn’t work.
I then downloaded the WordPress files anew, put them in new folder called WordPress, added my wp-config.php file and uploaded it all via WiseFtp. I then made the WordPress folder the root folder for recoverthefuture.org, ran https://recoverthefuture.org/wp-admin/install.php with the same result. So, no luck!
I suspect the problem lies in the way 1and1 directs the recoverthefuture.org URL to the “Destination…home directory : /wordpress”
So, unless you have any other thoughts, I think I’ll press 1and1 and, if they are not quickly helpful, maybe I’ll move the hosting and registration for my 18 domains elsewhere.
Thanks again. – Bob

For your domain, if you have the Destination home directory as wordpress, then wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes and the 21 files should be placed in the directory /wordpress. Then you should be able to navidate to recoverthefuture.org/wp-admin/install.php to do the installation.

Michael, that’s where they are but this is the message I get (same as before) when I navigate to https://recoverthefuture.org/wp-admin/install.php

Fatal error: main() [function.require]: Failed opening required 'ABSPATH/wp-admin/admin-functions.php' (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /homepages/5/d96293041/htdocs/wordpress/wp-admin/upgrade-functions.php on line 5

The part where I think 1and1 has control, but that I don’t understand is (include_path='.:/usr/local/lib/php') in /homepages/5/d96293041/htdocs/

I don’t know anything in that phrase.

Thanks again. – Bob

Still not resolved. I went back into wp-config-sample.php and decided that the entire sample and not just the four modified lines needed to be included in my wp-config.php. It looks like that might have been the problem… to a point. I now get the error
Parse error: parse error, unexpected '}' in /homepages/5/d96293041/htdocs/wordpress/wp-admin/admin-functions.php on line 841

You should only insert the 4 required info pieces into the wp-config.sample and DO NOT touch anything else! Leave it exactly as it is ans save it as… etc. Just don’t mess with the code (plain English: read the instructions and don’t want to be smarter…)

Its not that I want to be smarter, I just don’t want to be dumber. Anyway, after not messing with the code except to change the 4 required info pieces and replacing the admin-functions.php file with a fresh one. I now am set up. Problem solved. Thank you all for your help.