1. Did You Set The Path To Perl Correctly?

Perl location:

#!/usr/bin/perl

If you are wondering what the #! is before the location, that is the "shebang line," or the line that notifies the server that the file requires it to be run by Perl, and the location of Perl.

2. Did You Uncompress The File Properly?

After you download a script, if it was compressed in TAR mode, you will have to uncompress it correctly. All Windows users should remember that WinZip defaults at the option "Tar Smart CR/LF," under the options/configuration/miscellaneous section. Disable this. When enabled, it will uncompress incorrectly.

3. Be Careful When Editing Configuration Files

If a script requires you to edit your configuration files, be extremely careful with what you do. Most people that experience installation problems either uploaded in binary mode, or messed up the configuration files.

Remember to follow the author's directions exactly, as even missing a bracket will screw up the whole script. Insert your variables or whatever you need to edit where told, and only there. The format should also be kept the same.

4. Set Your File Permissions Correctly

All CGI programs require you to set their permissions correctly in order to run properly. Therefore, they must be set at the permission "755"  or "700"  This is the permission for an executable file.

Some files require different permissions. The author will state to you what those permissions have to be. Visit here if you need instructions on how to set permissions.

When All Else Fails

If you can't or don't know how to correct the errors, contact the author of the script for help.