This is in a hosted environment (where others have gotten DNN working). It is a totally new installation. Gets through the checks for access rights, and completes the DB create. The problem is that modules (including HTML) don't install:

Modules

Error Installing Module(s):
Announcements (03.04.00)Error Installing Module(s):
Blog (3.02.00)Error Installing Module(s):
Documents (03.01.06)Error Installing Module(s):
Events (03.03.07)Error Installing Module(s):
FAQs (04.04.00)Error Installing Module(s):
Feedback (04.04.01)Error Installing Module(s):
Forum (03.20.09)Error Installing Module(s):
Help (03.00.01)Error Installing Module(s):
HTML (04.05.00)Error Installing Module(s):
IFrame (03.02.03)Error Installing Module(s):
Links (03.03.07)Error Installing Module(s):
Media (03.02.03)Error Installing Module(s):
Reports (04.05.02)Error Installing Module(s):
Repository (03.01.10)Error Installing Module(s):
Survey (04.00.85)Error Installing Module(s):
UserDefinedTable (03.03.06)

I earlier had tried same with 4.5.1, and had the same problem. There's no further information, since I can't run anything. Note that since the HTML module won't install, I can't proceed past this page -- it continues to try to install, and always fails.

If I clear ALL my selections, Links and HTML remain selected, and Links succeeds its install, whereas HTML always fails.

How do I proceed?

Thanks for the suggestion, but if you'll check my original post, toward the end there I state that it is impossible to even continue the install, much less log in or run anything. Since the "HTML" module fails to install, the installer returns me to the module page, and of course no matter how many times I try to install, it will keep me there because there is always at least one failure (i.e. the HTML module).

I will gladly look in the DB, and already have checked the EventLog table, which had nothing at all about these failures in it.

Well, I threw it all out, made a new database, ensured all permissions on file system were correct, and then it worked. Can't tell you that I did anything differently than before, but got past it.