When I try to run install.php get a parse error, unexpected T_STRING
Have tried unpacking and ftping twice now but with the same error when I try to open the install.php page.
What have I done wrong?
I have checked with my host and they say there should be no problems running coppermine.
Your package may be corrupted - the error message you got indicates that there's something fishy with the installer (parse error actually means "syntax error"). Get a fresh copy of the coppermine package from another download mirror.
Then delete the whole coppermine folder you uploaded to your webserver previously to make sure that you're uploading vanilla files. Finally, upload the entire fresh packet (of course after having unzipped it first on your client) to your server using a "real" FTP app (like FileZilla or SmartFTP; not some crap like MS Frontpage or a similar file uploader bundled with a WYSIWYG editor) using the proper FTP mode (try "auto" as a default).