For some reason express is broken on my machine and I cannot get it
to work even after downloading SQLEXPR_ADV.EXE and re-installing it.

I decided to use the SQL Server 2005 instead which I installed some
time back. I chose the SQL Server 2000/2005 Database option when
installing DNN 4.8.1 and not the express option.

Any assistance will be welcome, thanks.

Find my installation tests and error messages below:

DotNetNuke Installation Wizard - Version 04.08.01

Checking File Permissions: Your site passed the permissions check.

Custom - The "Custom" installation method provides you with the ability to
         completely customise your DotNetNuke installation. Select this
     option if you wish to control which optional components get installed.

Configure Database Connection
Connection Error(s):
Index #: 0
Source: .Net SqlClient Data Provider
Class: 11
Number: 4060
Message: Cannot open database "dotnetnuke481.mdf" requested by the login. The login failed.

Index #: 1
Source: .Net SqlClient Data Provider
Class: 14
Number: 18456
Message: Login failed for user 'WINXP-MACHINE\ASPNET'.

You've probably figured out that DotNetNuke isn't able to open your database.

Try using MSSQL Server Management Studio or the Express version to open the database. That at least will help you figure out the correct username and password. When you do that, use those in your web.config file.

Hi,

Please note that express is broken on my machine so I cannot use it, I am focusing on SQL Server 2005 itself now.

What account does DNN logs in with? I assume its the ASPNET account?

The error is indicating the ASPNET account, but I do not have the
password to login in to SQL Server Managment Studio for obvious reasons.

Plus I have changed the database name in the ConnectionStrings tag in web.config file.

I still have no luck, thanks.

 
    <!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2005 Express -->
   
    <!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2000/2005
          name="SiteSqlServer"
      connectionString="Server=(local);Database=DotNetNuke481;uid=;pwd=;"
      providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />
   -->
 

Use SQL Server Management Studio Express to MANAGE your SQL 2005 server.  You can get it free from the MS website.  You can log in, create and delete databases, examine tables, etc.  It's an indispensible tool if you are trying to use SQL Server databases.

DotNetNuke will log in using the database, username, and password that you specify in your web.config file.  So, these need to match the ones that use determined when you created the database.  That's why I suggested that you use SQL Server Management Studio Express to verify that they work the way you think that they work.  You're clearly using the wrong ones in your connection string.

This might be a good time to take a break and review some of the tutorial on DotNetNuke installation:

• How to install DotNetNuke 4.5 to Windows XP Pro with IIS
• How to install DotNetNuke 4.5 to Windows XP Home (Using VWD)

ok, couple of things, I also recently came across an installation failure when installing SQL express. - I managed to solve the problem however by googling the error that was listed in the logs and found a forum post for the solution.

RE:   Installing DotNetNuke using SQL Server 2005, you need to specify in the web.config file the connection string for your database. - and you will need to create the database and username for accessing the database in SQL Server 2005 before you attempt to install DotNetNuke. - this is going back to the previous method of installing DotNetNuke before SQL Server express was created.