Setup fails

Hi, After successfully installing zencart on our production servers (apache), I have been trying to install a copy on my personal computer (VISTA Ultimate) for testing with absolutely no success. My PC runs PHP and MySQL with no problem in any other app. As I am trying to replicate the production server environment, I am using PHP 4.4.7 and MySQL 4.1 - and I have altered the password in MySQL so PHP works properly with it.

The prerequsites screen shows an exclaimation mark next to the suggested SQL cache folder and I think this is the root of the problems I am having- where should this be located? is this localhost/cache, or localhost/zen/cache? I have tried both to no avail. How does Zencart locate this directory? I also have an error message lower on this screen that says the /cache file is unwritable, but it has permission set at full control for the Internet guest user and Everyone...

Once past this screen, I can progress to the Database settings screen. I have set the SQL cache to none, and the Database radio button to yes. But clicking the save button gives me a "can't write to includes/configure.php" error (but permissions are set to allow this and the "Prerequisites" setup screen said that this was writeable). Checking the includes/configure.php shows it is a zero length file.

Is there someway to setup a log file so I can see what is really going wrong. I am convinced that I am seeing "default" error messages as nothing I change is making any difference. I have read the posts indicating "Windows is a problem", but as I use Windows and PHP on a daily basis, I don't buy this explanation - bad code causes problems, not the operating system.

Has anyone else had similar problems? Did you eventually find a solution?

Thankyou

Checking the includes/configure.php shows it is a zero length file.
Try reloading the distibution as even the default dist-configure.php file is not "0" bytes in length - but does require renaming to configure.php (there are 2 of these)

Have not done this for Vista but have used either xamp or easyphp (both pesudeo lamp/win environs) with full success on winxp.

The cache folder for Zen Cart goes in the root directory for your store, alongside the admin and includes folders. But it should have been installed alongside these other folders when you unpacked the release package. You shouldn't have to create it.

You can put it elsewhere, but this would require a manual edit for the config files to tell Zen Cart where.

There isn't a logging process that I know off - there might be something buried deep in Vista. Normally the installation process just runs, and certainly isn't bad software! I've run it hundreds if not thousands of times without incident.

Sadly there are issues between windows, PHP and apache. Primarily in the handling of ... err ... permissions and system calls. As a result, in my web design business we only run client sites on linux servers and I have one keeping my toes warm that we use for local testing. But these issues wouldn't normally affect a straightforward install.