How to Create a Forum Website

Register a domain name for your website at a domain name registrar such as FreeHostia or GoDaddy (see Resources).
Buy a web hosting package to host your website online. Hosting is available from the domain name registrars listed above and many different sites. Buy a package that includes at least one MySQL database.
Download and extract the newest version of the phpBB Installation Package from its official website (see Resources).
Upload every file and folder you just downloaded into the same public location on your website (such as yoursite.com/forum).
Open a web browser and navigate to the 'install' folder of wherever you put phpBB. If you put it in yoursite.com/forum, go to yoursite.com/forum/install.
Click on the 'Install' tab and follow the on-screen instructions to install phpBB. If you get stuck, you can find detailed installation instructions in INSTALL.html and README.html, in the 'docs' folder.
Find extra add-ons for your forum and different visual styles from the phpBB website (see Resources).
Tell people to come to your site and start talking.
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How to Calculate a File's Checksum

Download the FCIV file from the Microsoft website (see link in the Resources section) and save it on your computer.
Double-click the file to extract it. Save the file in C:\windows\system32\.
Go to the Start menu and type “cmd” (without quotations) in the Run or “Search for programs and files” field and press “Enter.”
Navigate to the folder hosting the file.
Type “fciv filename” (without quotations, and substituting the name of the file you wish to check) and press “Enter” to create the MD5 checksum.
Type “fciv –sha1 filename” and press “Enter” to create the SHA1 checksum.
Compare the checksum with the one provided with the file.
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