== Installing Forge ==

Start by download the "Installer" download from [url=http://files.minecraftforge.net/]files.minecraftforge.net[/url]. The "Installer" is a universal jar file for every Operating System, if you are running Windows you can choose the "Installer Win" version which is an exe version of the same program.
On the adfoc.us page that comes up [b]only click the link "SKIP" in the top right[/b] after you have waited the required amount of time. Everything below the top bar is an advertisement and is [i]not[/i] related to your forge download at all, even if it might make you try to believe so.

Once you've finished downloading the installer you can run it. If you are on windows and having problems running the jar version, check out [url=http://johann.loefflmann.net/en/software/jarfix/index.html]Jarfix[/url].

= Client =
To install forge into your client you have to run the vanilla launcher at least once before installing. You do not need to launch the game, just the launcher. If you are running the installer from a different OS Account (e.g. Windows User) than the Minecraft launcher you have to adjust the target directory to the correct [tt].minecraft[/tt] folder. Once you have done that make sure that the "Install Client" option is selected and click "OK" at the bottom.
Once the process is finished you are done, but I recommend you read the additional notes for clientside installations below.

= Server =
To set up a forge server create an empty folder on your computer that you wish to create the server in. Select the "Install Server" option in the Installer window and navigate to the folder you've just created using the "..." button next to the folder path. Once you've done that click "OK" and the installer will create a ready-to-run server in the specified directory. To run the server run the "forge-[version]-universal.jar" in the server directory, do not run the "minecraft_server[version].jar]" file, it will launch a vanilla server! Also remember to agree to the eula using the eula.txt file after the first run.
To run the

= Updating a server =
To update a server simply re-run the server installation step with your already existing server directory. It will download and create all the files that changed in the new version. Just make sure to run the new universal jar file afterwards.

= Notes for clientside installations =
[list][li]When running modded Minecraft it is very useful to understand profiles in the Minecraft launcher. A profile basically ties together a version and a GameDir (see below). This version can be any forge version you have installed through the installer (yes, you can install as many as you want side by side) or any vanilla version. To create a new profile just click the "New Profile" button in your launcher and select the version you want to run in it from the dropdown menu.[/li]
[li]It is recommended that you run forge in a different GameDir. The GameDir is the folder where all your mods, configurations, save-files and so on are stored. Changing it is a good way to keep your modded installation separate from your vanilla worlds or even to keep several modded installations separate from each other to avoid accidentally opening one world in the wrong version and corrupting it. To change the GameDir for any given profile just create a new empty folder somewhere where you want to keep the data for that profile. Then click "Edit Profile" with that profile selected and paste the full path to the new folder into the "Game Directory" box.[/li][/list]
Using these two techniques you can keep your Minecraft installation tidy and nicely separate modded and unmodded instances.