Hello,

I have a DNN site setup and working on my localhost development machine. I want to move the site to my Laptop for demonstration purposes. Both machines are running Windows 7 64 bit and IIS 7.

I have followed the standard instructions posted on numerous websites on moving DNN Sites. That is, I've copied the DNN files to my laptop and have the site setup in IIS. I detached the DNN database from my Dev machine's SQL Server and copied the database files to my laptop and Attached to my SQL Server instance on that machine. Initially I ran into the SQL "orphaned user" issue, but I have since resolved that.

On my laptop I can enter the URL "//localhost/mysite" and the website's content comes up WITHOUT any css formatting, skins, menu placement, and images of the website. In the DNN database in the PortalAlias table, I have confirmed that the entry there is "//localhost/mysite" (the same as my main Dev machine).

I have also verified that the users and permissions for the website folder match those that are setup on my Dev machine.

Why doesn't any of the formatting, images, and skin information appear in my website?

Thank you for your help. I have been trying to resolved this one for 3 days now.

Thank you.

Elgin

I assume that the correct content is there and that you can login?

Try going to the Host Settings and Site Settings pages and check that the correct skins are specified.

Also check the Event Log to see if there are any errors reported about the skin (or about anything else).

Joseph,

Thank you for replying.

The correct content is there and the skins are available in the dropdown boxes on the Host Settings and Admin Settings pages. These pages are somewhat difficult to navigate because things are out of place and not formatted. Its like just the HTML is showing up. No skins, no images, no menu formatting.

I've reviewed the event log. There are several General Exceptions having to do with a module I installed, but nothing referencing a problem with the Skins. I have uninstalled my module, but that made no difference.

I've looked at the skins table on my LAPTOP INSTALLATION and it has a hardcoded path to the SkinSrc as "E:\inetpub\vhosts\mysite.com\httpdocs\Portals\_default\Skins\sL007_TealBlue\Admin Bordered.ascx" for example, which is the path on my hosting provider to the physical files.

However on my DESKTOP INSTALLATION it says the same exact thing, and my desktop installation works perfectly. That is where I do my development.

For kicks I updated the skins table with "\Portals\_default\Skins\sL007_TealBlue\Admin Bordered.ascx", that didn't work either. I tried setting up a folder share to emulate an " E: " logical drive on my computer and created the same folder structure and copied the files there. NO SUCCESS in either case.

I have watched all of Lee Sykes' videos on moving a site from production to localhost and how to install DotNetNuke on Windows 7 and IIS. I have followed his instructions closely.

I do not know what to try next. Your help is much appreciated.

Thank you.

Elgin

Elgin,
Check your connection string in web.config or go to portal tables in data base check for url and relation against portal id and modules.skin etc.

Yes, make sure that you modified BOTH connection strings in web.config.

But ... you shouldn't have to be jumping through hoops.

These are the steps:

1. Move the database to your new database server.
2. Copy the web directory
3. Make sure that permissions are set on the new web directory
4. Edit the two copies of the connections string
5. Fix the entry in the PortalAlias table
6. Set up the website in IIS

You really shouldn't have to change anything else.

Joseph,

I have rechecked BOTH connection strings and they are correct. I show them to you below. I have also verified the portal alias record in the PortalAlias table, it is correct "localhost\mysite" to match what I have setup on my IIS and the PortalID is 0, which is the one and only portal I have setup on this DNN Installation.


Here's my connection strings: (core info changed of course). The dnnCS connection string is used by my application. I removed all the bracketing since I didn't know how else to make the text show up. It wasn't showing in this forum with the XML bracketing in place.

connectionStrings
remove name="LocalMySqlServer"

add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=myDnnData;User
ID=myUser;Password=myPassword" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"

add name="dataCS" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=myAppDatabase;Persist Security
Info=True;User ID=myUser;Password=myUser" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"

add name="dnnCS" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=myDnnData;Persist Security
Info=True;User ID=myUser;Password=myPassword" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient"
connectionStrings

appSettings
add key="SiteSqlServer" value="Data Source=.\SQLEXPRESS;Initial Catalog=myDnnData;User
ID=myUser;Password=myPassword"

...... All the other App Settings......

appSettings


Note that the connection string shown below is what is in the appsettings element on my main desktop system and is working fine, although that is a SQL Server Express installation too, not a SQL Server installation. Note the different connection string format.

appSettings
<!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2000/2005 - kept for backwards compatability - legacy modules -->
add key="SiteSqlServer" value="Server=.\SQLEXPRESS;Database=myDnnData;uid=myUser;pwd=myPassword;"
appSettings

Thank you.

Elgin

The next thing that I would do is delete the database and the web directory and try it all again.

First, though, you might want to try doing a fresh install of DotNetNuke on the laptop ... just to convince yourself that you can do that.

Joseph,

You're right. I tried just simply doing another DNN install (this time with the latest dload 5.6.2) and I get the same issue. Starting right at the DNN Installation Wizard, no skins formatting, no images, etc. On this laptop, I disable the UAC and all McAfee protection features, just in case. I've tried IE and Chrome as browsers. No luck still.

So as a test I started a DNN installation on another one of my Windows 7 laptops. That installation starts fine all the way up to the point of connecting to the Database.mdf file in the App_Data folder. I get the Class: 14 Number 15350 error. I forget how to fix that one for now, but that's a completely separate issue.

The standard DNN Skins formatting and images show up normally for the DNN Installation wizard on my second laptop.

Here's a few things I've noticed:

While setting up the AppPool on the first laptop(problem laptop), if I go to the Basic Settings of the app and hit the "Test Settings" button I get an "Invalid application path" error if it is set to use "pass-through authentication" under the "Connect as" button. But if I enter the Windows credentials for the user that I am current logged in as in the "Path Credentials" window, both the "Username" and "Path is accessible" tests pass.

I have followed Lee Sykes' videos on installing DNN on Windows 7 and IIS. He has us change the AppIdentiyPool to Classic.NET AppPool but later has us give Folder Permissions to the DefaultAppPool and IIS_USERS only. No permissions are added for the Class.NET AppPool. Can that be correct?

In any case, adding the Windows user as the "Connect As" method and adding permissions for the Classic.NET AppPool had no affect on my current problem, even after restarting the IIS Server and recycling the App Pools.

I am still at a loss and time is running out. Can you give me some direction? And oh, I have deleted everything and downloaded fresh files from my hosting provider and started the process over twice already with the same results on the offending machine.

Thank you so much for your help.

Elgin

Joe,

PROBLEM SOLVED! Yeah!

While reading one of numerous posts, in God knows which forum, something prompted me to go back to the very beginning, all the way back. That is, IIS Configuration.

The laptop I am working with is a new Windows 7 Dell Laptop that has never had IIS activated before now. Well, I followed Lee Sykes' videos on "How to install DNN to Windows 7." Video 1 explains how to prepare the environment and turn on IIS 7 and it says that accepting the default settings turned on by Windows should be good enough. BUT, in the case of this laptop at least, IT'S NOT.

To be sure of this, I went back and turned off IIS, rebooted, and turned it back on, accepting the defaults turned on by Windows. Under the setting Internet Information Services\World Wide Web Services\Application Development Features, nothing is turned on by default. AT MINIMUM YOU NEED .NET Extensibility, ASP.NET, ISAPI Extensions, and ISAPI Filters turned on. After turning these features on and rebooting, all DNN Sites that I was having a problem with before, now work.

You will probably want to turn on Web Management Tools\IIS Management Console too, in order to administer your IIS Server.

Thank God this nightmare is over. Hope this helps someone else find their answer.

Elgin

Good job! I'm glad that you solved this.

Based on the fact that one computer was fine and the other wasn't would have led me to ask about your IIS configuration. I don't have to do that now!