No short install!

[Ted]

Make a blank text file.  Upload that as config.php and make sure the webserver has permissions to write to it.  The installer will take over from there.

[rob]

found out that my shared server says it will run php, but it's in safe mode, and can not change into anything but safe mode, so I'm changing it to a linux shared server where php can actually run scripts...

so in about 48 hours, things should be much better!
thanks!