Configuration Wizard

This guide is specific to installing Movable Type using FTP and using the Configuration Wizard to create the mt-config.cgi file. More detailed installation guides are available.

• Tools Necessary for Installation
• Before Installing

Note: Though this guide uses the version MT-5.0-en, it can be used to guide the installation of versions MT4.x or MT3.x as the install process is nearly identical.

Install Movable Type via FTP and the Configure Wizard

1. Download the latest release of MT5: Movable Type Pro or Movable Type Open Source.
2. Un-compress the downloaded MT-5.0-en.zip (or MT-5.0-en.tar.gz) archive. Usually just double-click on it.
3. Upload (or move) the static directory (MT-5.0-en/mt-static) via FTP to the web root of the website.
4. Update permissions for mt-static/support directory to 777. More about file permissions.
5. Upload the application directory (MT-5.0-en) without the static directory (MT-5.0-en/mt-static) via FTP to the cgi-bin directory. Rename the application directory from “MT-5.0-en” to “mt”.
6. Create a Movable Type configuration file using the Configuration Wizard. Access the Movable Type application (url will be similar to http://www.example.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt.cgi) and Movable Type will redirect you to the Configuration Wizard if Movable Type can’t locate the mt-config.cgi configuration file. Learn more about the Configuration Wizard.
7. Create the administrator account. Click “Continue”.
8. Create the first website. Click “Finish”. Movable Type will then initialize the database with all the configuration options and settings specified.
9. Click “Sign into Movable Type”… you’ve installed Movable Type.

Next Steps

• Create pages in the website
• Create a blog in the website
• Complete out your profile, etc.

I’d put a mention here that the wizard fails on some (not obscure) hosts, due to server configuration; something about scripts executing other files. This makes it say it can’t find perfectly valid mt-static locations and it refuses to continue, making the installer look broken. They’ll have to manually edit the mt-config file to get around it.