Dreamhost: Had to try a couple times - here is what worked:
my .htaccess file:
# use custom php.ini, but not fcgi
Options +ExecCGI
AddHandler php5-cgi .php
Action php5-cgi /cgi-bin/php5.cgi
If the install failed with “table creation failed”, then wipe out all tables in db, remove vtiger dir and start over with fresh copy of vtiger dir code. [...]
