Thanks for checking Smarty.
Okay, here're your answers...
Each forum was installed into its own directory on the root of the site installation. Well, actually, I duplicated forum1... here's the setup, and then the procedure I followed:
Setup:
1) www.domain.com/forum1 and www.domain.com/forum2 are the directory pathways.
2) Essentially, when initial installation was 'performed' a unique prefix was selected for each, so for instance, the database is "ourdatabase", and the prefixes for each table-set during installation are each: this_ and that_
3) So if you log into the database you might observe under "ourdatabase" "this_bans", "this_categories" etc., for the 1st forum installation tables, and then observe "that_bans", that_categories" etc. for the 2nd froum installation tables.
Installation is all very straightforward, however... 2 UNIQUE THINGS for these installations worthy of note...
Procedure:
4) I exported and then manually edited the database tables for "this_forum", replacing all occurances of "this_" with "that_" and then imported all the "that_forum" tables into the database so I could create an identical setup in forum2 to that of forum1.
5) Rather than running install.php for "forum2", I simply copied all files from forum1 directory into the forum2 directory -- EDITING the 'prefix' in config.php for "forum2". NOTE: I kept the cookie the same in case at some point I wish to experiment with sharing database table info between the forums! (I do not know if this might be the snag?)
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Testing both forums there have been absolutely no flaws or problems. They function totally independently, and have all the same features as 'the state of forum 1 at the time that I copied it'.
So now then, I go to install some mods into forum1. No problem, install, test, troubleshoot if need be.
When I find a mod is sufficient for the main forum owner's desire/need, I go ahead and install the mod into forum1.
I do not remember if I am consistently having the problem described because one or two of the installed items were plugins (which do not require running install_mod.php). That's why I provided the second consideration for you to check after you blessed the first one as 'okay', because I could actually count on that last one as presenting the problem described, i.e., not installing into forum1 after installing into forum2.
So it seems that, when I run an install_mod.php on forum2, if afterward I try to run it on forum1 the database 'rejects' it for some reason. So then I have to go manually recreate the tables and/or the eits to existing tables.
I think I did not leave anything out. If there is any other information you require, please ask away. And thank you, again, for the time you spend... I see you are the troubleshooting workhorse around here, ...and it doesn't go unnoticed, I am sure.
Cheers,
TwoHawks
Love is the Function
No Form is the Tool