I have been installing DNN 4.0.2 using the starter kit as well as a file copy. I am now able to install in just a few minutes using various configurations including using a  database attached to the main instance of SQLEXPRESS. One thing I have found is that you can't have the same database attached to more than one server instance at the same time. For example, a user instance and the main instance. Use VS2005 to detach or the SSEUTIL program you can download from MSFT. I feel that many problems are the result of being unable to connect because of this. I have bee able to solve all my connection problems be using a correct connection string and only one attach.

Here is a problem I can't seem to resolve. After installing using VWD and running the portal using the VWD server on a port, e.g., 1226 I add a portal alias for http://localhost/dnn so I can access the portal using IIS. After making sure the database is detached from the user instance running under my user name I can open the portal just fine using the IIS URL. What is not working for me is that when I go to settings for a module and want to change the container skin,  the preview button causes a new browser window that opens and immediately closes. No preview appears.

If I switch back to the VWD built in server things work OK. I get the feeling that somewhere along the line the preview wants to access the portal using the primary portal alias which of course won't work since the connection fails.

I am curious if anyone can duplicate this problem and/or knows why it fails. This is a consistent bug and I have reproduced it numerous times from clean installs.

Of course the obvious workaround is to make the initial install on IIS. I have even tried editing the primary URL in the portalalias table in the database. That doesn't fix the problem. Interesting.

Tom