Joomla 2.5.9 - VM 2.0.20b / AIO won't update, install or otherwise

[DG]

Joomla 2.5.9 / and just managed to update to VM 2.0.20b, except for the AIO installer which is throwing some error messages.

I tried uploading via the extention manager as well as a manual upload of the separate .tar files to the tmp folder and 'install from URL', to no avail;

• Error reads: -1 - An error has occurred. Unable to create target folder. Return to Control

I tried the component updater (Virtuemart 2 All in one Installer – Live Update)

• Error read:  -1 - An error has occurred. Unable to create target folder. Return to Control
  
• On refresh of the Live Updater page, this error: Your server indicates that Live Update is not supported. Please contact your host and ask them to enable the cURL PHP extension or activate the URL fopen() wrappers. If these are already enabled, please ask them to configure their firewall so that it allows access to the following URL: http://virtuemart.net/index.php?option=com_ars&view=update&format=ini&id=4

I've contacted the server (dreamhost) who suggest that there is a chmod issue, writing this (which seems like a bit of a copout to me):

I looked into this and see that there are several permissions issues with your folders that are causing these issues. Our servers are preventing exploits when ever it sees a folders using permission '777' which is re-writable by anyone. You will want to chmod folders to '775' and '644' to prevent this issue from happening again.

I wrote back that the only folder with chmod 777 was the tmp folder and that I hadn't changed the chmod on any other files or folders.  The rest are now apparently 757, 755 and 644.  Changing the chmod on the tmp dir to 775 didn't work anyway.


How it all started: an error had shown up on vm2.0.18a with aio2.0.18a (which was working fine!) after changing the site from http to https.  On checkout, the error read: Fatal error: Call to undefined method MYPDF::SetDefaultMonospacedFont() in /home/xxx/xxx/components/com_virtuemart/controllers/invoice.php on line 173) - and this made me think that vm needed updating to 2.0.20b.
However, on another of the same client's sites, which is very similar in its structure, she has just emailed me to tell me of the Fatal error: Call to undefined method MYPDF::SetDefaultMonospacedFont() in /home/xxx/xxx/components/com_virtuemart/controllers/invoice.php on line 173 error happening on the other site too.  The other site is still vm 2.0.18a.  So something has clearly changed on the server, IMHO.

So I have the vm 2.0.20b component installed to the best of my knowledge, but can't get the AIO  2.0.20b to install for the life of me.
If there isn't an obvious answer... can someone please give me a blow-by-blow description about which files to pull from the aio tar file, to be placed 'where' on the server?

Regards
Donna.

edit: Just by the way, I'd also tried to install the AIO 2.0.20 prior with the same problem -  -1 - An error has occurred. Unable to create target folder. Return to Control.

[jenkinhill]

Unable to create destination folder suggests permissions or ownership issue, but may be a problem with unpacking or with long filenames/paths or hard disk space. Directories should be 775 and files 644 (or less).

You probably need to upack the file package before uploading for installation. See:  http://www.phoca.cz/phocagallery/478-how-to-install-large-components-with-help-of-ftp-in-joomla

[DG]

Thanks for the reply
I think I've tried that, unless I'm doing something wrong.

When I try to install the aio tar file via the extension manager and the 'install from url' input line, it creates an install directory in the tmp folder (as well as the 'Unable to create...' error in Joomla admin).
ie temp folder name: install_514c1ba7d7f98

Inside the install directory are the folders and files that are seemingly the same as the files that I had unpacked to view on my computer.
The structure inside the install folder is:

admin (folder) plus three files (index.html, install.xml and script.vmallinone.php)

Then the structure inside the admin folder is:
(all folders) + assets, + classes, + language, + languageBE, + languageFE, + libraries, + modules, + plugins.
along with four files:
admin.virtuemart_allinone.php, config.php, index.html and script.vmallinone.php

I have tried to use the full url to the install folder (ie: domainsomething.come/tmp/install_514c1ba7d7f98) thinking that it should grab the install.xml file, but the error in the extension manager is "Unknown Archive type"
- trailing slash makes no difference

I think I'm heading in the right direction, but something isn't happening. 
Any tips would be really appreciated.

[MoneyMagnets]

DG how did you solve this?

My AIO wouldn't install and I've tried a manual install but I've missed something...

UPDATE: Finally got is working using http://forum.virtuemart.net/index.php?topic=114164.msg384226

Thanks,
Karen