SUPPORT SUX!!!

I installed Dolphin over 6 months now and still am having problems with it. I am constantly emailing support concerning video uploads and IM stability. I must admit I know very little about this but am a quick learner. I've had a php.ini file in my root installation since I installed it. now I've learnt that If one is there I can't get into my site. What changed? I know somebody from boonex has been in my server using the access I gave them...chaos broke loose after receiving an email from support, with instructions which i tried to follow but didn't have to as the changes were already made. After that I coulldn't get in my siteas a member or to admin ,because I could get no response from these guys for over three days, i went poking around to find out why and figure out by making new installations that it was a php.ini file causing the problems. My site is still bugging out. I've removed all php.ini files from my server and yet phpinfo.ini tells me there's one there....2 mb upload... Why would you guys program so little an upload in the first place anyway? if i try to access a profile I now get "404 Not Found The requested URL /Dolphin/^^^ does not exist". I'm spending to much time trying to sort this out and am on the verge of calling it quits. my efforts are in vain. My members have lost interest because they can't communicate nor upload anything. I get larger uploads with drupal , joomla and wordpress.... I just don't get the integration that you guys boast about. And you guys are trying to go to 7 ? Are you sure? I'm real disappointed.... Support sux.

Since you have your dolphin intsallation installed in a sub folder, you do have your RewriteBase in .htaccess set to /Dolphin/ I presume?

Also on most shared server environments php.ini is set to only allow max uploads of 2mb, so that could be your hosting company... For instance I just Migrated one of my websites to Hostgator and they have theirs set to 64MB by default. and without making any ajustments to the Dolphin software I am now able to upload files of at least 20MB no probs, I.E The upload file size is not Dolphin it's your hosting company.

My other sites that are hosted on other shared hosting accounts only allow 2MB uploads, but I managed to increase this by adding an extra php.ini to the root folder... also the other thing is on one account I am running php5 and I had to rename php.ini to php5.ini. So you could try that.

But at the end of the day, if your host doesn't support the Dolphin software then you have to make a decision whether to stay with Dolphin and get a new host or Ditch Dolphin and all it's great features.

I can understand why some people would find Dolphin difficult to understand. But I haven't seen anywhere that Dolphin is for noobs. To be honest, if you're thinking of running a community site but you don't know much about site admin, you're better off either hiring someone who does know, or opting for a white lable site.

I don't work for Boonex, but I have found their software to be pretty good. I didn't expect it all to be completely plain sailing, even though I am quite experienced at site admin. But I don't like to blame others for my shortcomings.

It's possible that some of the problems are from Boonex, but in my experience when something doesn't work it's because I MESSED UP.

I've seen quite a few unfair messages, and think to myself how frustrated the programming team must feel when people who don't understand mess up the files and then blame the software, lol. Just thought I'd say my piece to even things up a bit.

Regarding the file upload size: I tried another (quite good) software first and it definitely wouldn't go onto my server through CPanel. I had to use FTP. The entire Dolphin package sailed up there with the greatest of ease. All shared hosting has some kind of upload limit. Cheaper the hosting, smaller the limit.

I love Dolphin. I think it's a steal at the price, and if you do hit a glitch there are plenty of forums to find solutions--most of the time for free.

Great work Boonex team. :)

Okay, let's clear up a few things here, I'll touch on some that lancashiredates has already touched on and a few others:

1.  php.ini is controlled by your host if your on a shared server environment, often you will even find this to be the case when it comes to VPS servers.  My site is on my own server with no one else (we won't get into specific details) but even then the php.ini came from the host.  Dolphin Install requires a php.ini file, because it uses php, but it does not provide the php.ini file, so go see your host about that problem. 

2.  You can upload a thousand php.ini files, but if the host has the servers root php.ini set to not allow you to overrule the settings it will do you NO GOOD!

3.  I have e-mailed Boonex support before, allowed them to access my server and received awesome support out of them.  In fact, I have learned to e-mail them with problems Sunday night through Thursday night and I will have the answer the next morning.  Any time they have gone into the server to fix something, I always get an e-mail from them stating what the problem & cure was with the problem corrected.  The reason they tell you what it was is very simple:

If it happens again, you can fix it your self!!!  Would you prefer they fix it and give you NO SOLUTION to it.

4.  Now as far as the 404 error goes, start out by checking .htaccess has mod_rewrite ON  That is the most popular problem.  Then start paying attention to what the site is supposed to be set at.  Check CHMOD Permissions, what did you accidentally remove from your Dolphin files that should be there? 

It would be much better to get a little help for your site if you took a moment to come in here, post what the problem is, what version of Dolphin you are using, what your server is (Linux, Windows, Shared, VPS, Dedicated, Cluster) and so on.  In your case, I'd also request the php & SQL versions your using and finally the URL for the site so it can be checked by us to attempt to locate your problem.  The last item, but still very important is this:

In your e-mail, what is the site error(s) your getting?  Believe it or not, your server will usually tell you what the problem is so you can fix it, servers love to do this, it makes them feel important to provide the answer to you and gives them a feeling of self worth. 

Now, you can either suck it up, start asking quesitons in the correct manner, pay attention to those who have working sites, and begin to pay ATTENTION to what other site owners, hosting companies who frequent the forums and other such as mrpowless and ArturA who have a vast knowledge with this software.  I have not seen a PROBLEM a site has yet that has not been curable, although we do have the ones who want to chauffer them around town that hasn't been integratable yet. 

Overall, Dolphin is an awesome scripting program, that puts others such as Joomla & Drupal to shame.  You wish those programs could/would do what Dolphin does then you wouldn't even be in here looking at Dolphin.  It's not our fault you wanted a basic site that was ready out of the box and lacked the ability to fully research it and realize Dolphin has requirements that must be met by the hosting company you choose, takes a certain amount of knowledge or willingness to learn (and all who frequent this know this is my FIRST site that I've built and I have used Dolphin for it) that you obviously lack both of. 

Have a nice day and when you decide you want your site to actually work, come back in here politely and we will give you a hand.

thanks lancashiredates, I will try your suggestions. thing is I am on a dedicated server.

You are on a dedicated server? Are your sure itsd not Virtual Dedicated? What operating system is it? if Linux, what distrobution and do you have ssh access?

And to the others I must repeat this. I have been very patient with support. their rms kept crashing every day and I had to ask them to restart and restart and restart. I tweaked the uploads to where I could upload large files but some were generating the 'undefined' message. PRIOR to this I've been able to upload any size file with my other installations on the same dedicated server. Boonex Support then went into my server and changed something(s) and now I'm screwed for weeks without any answers or help and they refuse to help me unless I ask nicely.Prior to them going in, I've had a php.ini file in my root installation causing no problems. Now if it is there i can't log in to my account. Sounds like something I did? Right. They could have told me what they were doing. So now my site is crashed - What am I to do sit around for weeks with no answers from anyone? I've BEEN  asking nicely and of course now I'm frustrated. I don't have time to be playing kissy kissy games with people. support should suck it up - as you say- and just help me fix my site. I know Dolphin blows away the competition - that's not why I referred to Joomla and drupal. I was attempting to explain to people that I've been able to upload large files to my server before. Now that I'm trying to use Dolphin I can't. So it's not my hosting server. As noted maybe my hosting provider cannot work with Dolphin. I guess not everyone is fluent in english.

Obviously I'll have to try and sort it out my self and see if I can get it back to where it loads and plays SOME files. I've already lost all my info with desperate subsequent installs. If I can't get it to work... then I can't get it to work.

Go figure. And to the Boonex support team .. you can continue to have a good laugh.

Thank you for your replies.

gimme a second kernel.... i'll get the info

no ssh... I believe it to be dedicated ...3000gigs

Is it possible that it is not a file size issua. I did get large files to upload... some just wouldn't convert. maybe it's something between ffmpeg and my hosting server?

Aaaah.... sorted.

thanks all.

ok.. now I can get a video file to upload, and as far as to be approved but when I try to play it I get 'undefined' . the file was a 14 mb .mov file.

ok... Support is just overworked.