Installation problem when dns not configured

My client (ok, my wife) has an existing E-Commerce store using osCommerce and wishes to upgrade to a new look and so we are developing a brand new nopCopmmerce based store for her on a new host. The plan is to switch the dns records over when the new store is ready.

I have copied all the files to the new server but when I navigate there (using the IP address, not the domain name, since the domain name still points to the old store), the installation script tries to load pages using the domain name as part of the url rather than the ip address. Since the domain name resolves elsewhere, this obviously doesn't work.

For instance, I run http://XX.XX.XX.XX/$sitepreview/amaranthabellydance.co.uk/install/install.aspx and the install script begins. But when I click the 'Skip' button, my browser goes to http://amaranthabellydance.co.uk/install/install.aspx?checkpermission=0 - which of course doesn't exist.

Has anybody tried installing nopCommerce before the namservers are set up? Is it possible? Am I just missing something really dumb?

Stu.

Try manually navigating to..

http://XX.XX.XX.XX/$sitepreview/amaranthabellydance.co.uk/install/install.aspx?checkpermission=0

Just adding the query string should do it. That skip button does nothing but a redirect.

Thanks for the quick answer - sooo soooo close..

This seems to work fine up to the point it asks me to manually update the ConnectionsStrings.config file - I do so and click next, and it complains that the connection string I added didn't match and was incorrect. But, it matches - I've double and triple checked.

Just to see, I tried the site preview link - http://XX.XX.XX.XX/$sitepreview/amaranthabellydance.co.uk - this immediately redirects me to http://amaranthabellydance.co.uk/install/install.aspx which again doesn't exist

So, very nearly there but there is something still tossing the odd spanner.

As an alternative I can get it going on my local machine and then upload the completed site instead. However, it would be nice to understand why/how its doing this if anybody knows and would like to educate me ;)

Stu.