Often dedicated or shared servers are activated for PHP 4 but not PHP 5.

To install PrestaShop, PHP 5 must be activated. If you attempt to run PrestaShop using PHP 4 or older, you will receive numerous errors, including this very common message:

Parse error: parse error, unexpected T_STATIC, expecting T_OLD_FUNCTION or T_FUNCTION or T_VAR or '}' in [php file] on line X.

The following is a list of procedures of which we are aware:

1-&-1

Create an .htaccess file and add this line:

AddType x-mapp-php5 .php

Otherwise, you can try renaming the PHP files to be executed in PHP 5 by changing the extention to “.php”.

For URL re-writing, add these lines:

RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /

Free

Create an .htaccess file and add this line:

php 1

OVH

Create an .htaccess file and add this line:

SetEnv PHP_VER 5

To deactivate global registers:

SetEnv REGISTER_GLOBALS 0

GoDaddy

Change your default PHP language:

1. Log in to your Account Manager.
2. In the My Products section, select Hosting Account List.
3. Next to the hosting account you want to modify, click Open.
4. In the Content section of the Hosting Control Center, click the Languages icon.
5. Select PHP version you’d like to set as the default.
6. Click Continue.
7. Verify the listed changes, and then click Update.

Lunarpages shared hosting

1. Enter the cpanel. Many times this will be at
   http://www.(your_domain).(com/net/org/etc)/cpanel
2. Enter your account username and password in the box that appears.
3. A new page appears. Go to the bottom row of icons in the page and click the icon titled “Enable/Disable PHP 5”
4. A new page appears. Click “Add PHP 5 To Your Account!”.

Your Language change is submitted. Please allow up to 24 hours for the change to be processed by the hosting server.

Please don’t hesitate to post a bug report concerning the tips needed to make PrestaShop run on your hosting service. We will continually add them to this post