I have spent over 1 day trying to figure out what the heck is happening here and there is still no clear solution on how to make nuke 4.0 work with SQL Express and Server 2003. 

I have tried several variations to the suggestions given and verified that everything should be working but yet I still can't connect to the database to even get it installed.

Surely there has to be an easy way to do this.

Here is what I have:

Dot Net Nuke Installation Folder
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D Drive is my data drive.  I have a folder called Web in the D drive (d:\web).  I have the nuke install package in a folder named Nuke1 (D:\web\nuke1)

Windows User Account
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Just for kicks, I made a user account, DNN-User.  Not sure if this is needed.  See below in the SQL and IIS sections on what I did to this account.


SQL Express Configuration
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I installed SQL Express using the defaults.  Named Pipes, TCP/IP and shared memory are all running (After I restarted the services)

I created a DB named DNN.  When I go into the security section underneath the DB, I have the user account 'dbo' (using the SA account) as the DBO of the database.

I then added the windows account from above as the schema and database owner


IIS
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I had setup the web site, giving scripts and executables permissions to run.  I originally left the Annomous access account alone then went back and changed it to the Windows user account from above to see if that would help.  The web site is configured for .net 2.0, not 1.1.

Network Service Account
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I have set the Network Service Modify Access to the root of D.  I have inheritance enabled so all subfolders and files get this permission

web.config settings
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<connectionStrings>
    <!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2005 Express -->
    <add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|DNN.mdf;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

  <appSettings>
    <!-- Connection String for SQL Server 2005 Express - kept for backwards compatability - legacy modules   -->
    <add key="SiteSqlServer" value="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|DNN.mdf;"/>

I'm so tired about this.  This is a clean install of the site.  Even after blowing away the Db, web site, and files several times, I am no closer to setting ths up.

My current error is:

ERROR: Could not connect to database specified in connectionString for SqlDataProvider

What logs can I look at?  How can it not connect?  What am I missing?

Thanks!

Blew away my install and reinstalled v.4 into another folder.

Configured the web site to use asp.net 2.0
DB name is now DotNetNuke
Added a DB user account who is the database and schema owner (per the docs)
Network service has full rights to my web partition (D:) from the root down.  Verified the folder I made has the account listed with the same permissions and it does.

1)  I am logged in as the admin of the server.

2) Your command didn't work.
Tried:

'System.Data.SqlClient' is an unexpected token. Expecting white space. Line 31, position 161.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Initial Catalog=DotNetNuke,Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True; providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

ERROR: Could not connect to database specified in connectionString for SqlDataProvider
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
<add name="SiteSqlServer" connectionString="Data Source=.\SQLExpress;Integrated Security=True;User Instance=True;AttachDBFilename=|DataDirectory|DotNetNuke.mdf;" providerName="System.Data.SqlClient" />

Any other thoughts?
-Karl

I did the 2nd option.  This might clear up things as I was only using the SQL Express connection string (Being that I am using SQL Express)

Let me see what happens now.