I've been running zenphoto before, and having the same issue. Then i eventually got around it but don't remember how.

[http://drunkforfun.se]
[http://drunkforfun.se/zp-core/admin.php]
[http://drunkforfun.se/zp-core/setup.php]

The DB user/pass, works with the MySQL query editor/ MySQL Administrator

When I run setup.php for the first time, it asks me for the db settings. I provide them and click Save and run the setup.php file again. But it still asks me for the same settings, the settings I just entered are no-where to be found. And I can keep on doing this ritual to the end of time.

So what I did was to manually set the settings in zp-config.php, and setup.php will let me continue to the admin section, asking for admin-name & pass & realname & e-mail. I enter those and click save. Then I get redirected to the same page asking me for the same settings.

I looked up the administrators-table, and it contains no username, nor anything else.
The entire folder is chmod 777

Is there a way to enable logs to see whats happening?

Ok. I think I've solved it. I solved it by using the default mysql settings in php.ini

Can you let us know what mysql settings were different? This is a pretty strange failure.

Sure. I'll fetch a snippet from the php.ini file.

By "using the default mysql settings" I meant changeing the mysql-related defaults in php.ini into something appropriate.

`

mysql.default_port = 3306

mysql.default_host = localhost

mysql.default_user = root

mysql.default_password = censored

`