I tried to install and setup DotNetNuke over the weekend with a complete lack of success. I am trying to install 4.5.3 using the Installation Wizard. Looking at the Installation Wizard video is all well and good but it assumes that you actually get the wizard to start in the first place. (eg Config not defined etc) It doesn't work if opening directly in IE (eg get error A name was started with an invalid character....) so I got it running to a degree by going through VisualWebDeveloper but each page loaded as Done with Errors. (eg Object not set to an instance) The creating database scripts never finished and sat for hours before I cancelled out. I am trying to install on Vista Home Premium. I have installed IIS 7 and SQLServer Express. I have tried following the install instructions for version 4.4.1 as suggested in one forum post. There are too many conflicting posts on the forum and I shouldn't have to trawl through 35 pages in one thread which start from serveral versions prior and still not find anything useful to me. Surely the Installation Wizard is designed to allow the user the to omit the manual changes in WebConfig etc. as described in the 4.4.1 instructions. What does the Wizard actually do and what doesn't it do?
Why isn't there a sticky post which gives a step by step account with pictures of what is necessary to install the LATEST version for the complete novice. I just wanted to get something to run to see how the interface feels to work in and then maybe start by designing a small website. There are mentions all over the forums about which dierctory to extract to, setting up virtual directories in IIS, creating databases (am I correct in thinking that there is already a default database provided in App_Data or is this for something completely different and if not then why all the talk of creating a new database). Do I have to extract the files to a sub folder of C:\Inetpub\wwwroot as some instructions say or to any directory of my choosing as others say. What permissions are necessary to set for Vista and where and for whom, which appear to be different to XP. Very frustrating and not at all intuitive.
Quote from Homepage -
Easily Installed – DotNetNuke can be up-and-running within minutes. One must simply download the software from DotNetNuke.com, and follow the installation instructions.
Not in my experience - installation instructions??? Is this referring to the Documentation readme.txt or have I completely missed a link and expansive step by step instructions do exist for the version I have just downloaded?
The FAQ question Do I need Programming Skills to use DNN? gets the answer - "No. DotNetNuke's overall design and features allow those with only basic computer skills to create dynamic and fully interactive data-driven web or intranet sites."
In my book basic computer skills don't include knowing how to find my way around and set up IIS, knowing about user permissions and setting up databases. I don't mind having to do these but at least making it easy to find out how to do these things would be a good start. Perhaps this FAQ assumes that someone more technically proficient has already set DNN up and that it is simply easy and requires basic computer skills to make web sites, but I am sure there are a lot of people out there that just want to make their own personal website and experiment with DNN, without the requirement that their site be hosted by a provider who already has set up DNN.
This is probably just a general rant from a newbie but from reading several posts in the forums I am not alone. Surely part of expanding your user base is making it easy for newbies to work with your product.