Jeffleese:

I think that the name “Starter Kit” has thrown you a little off. You do not need the Starter Kit to get started with DNN. The starter kit is only for those that intend to develop new modules for DNN. If you just want to become familiar with DNN and a module like Forums, you can basically forget about Visual Studio and the Starter Kit (at least until you become familiar with the whole thing a little better). In order to get a DNN installation going for you to play with and evaluate, I recommend you download either the DNN 4.3.5 Install version or DNN 3.3.5 Install version. These two packages are functionally equivalent, but 3.3.5 runs on ASP.Net 1.1 and 4.3.5 runs on ASP.Net 2.0. You have to decide which platform you want to use. 3.3.5 runs just fine and there are a gazillion modules available out there for it, with various versions of Forums also available. You also need some flavor of SQL Server. 4.3.5 runs great with the free SQL Server 2005 Express.

Hope this helps. Make sure you read and follow the installation instructions included in the Installation package. And remember, DNN is working great for many (and I mean many) sites, don’t get too frustrated if you don’t understand things right away, the product works great and the support community is outstanding.

Keep posting your questions, concerns, or favorable experience.