Here is my little mini-tutorial. It assumes that you have control of both servers. If you don't have control of the live server, some of the steps may change slightly, but should be easy to figure out.
Moving a DNN Site using IIS and SQL Server
*If the web address will change when you move the site... for instance from localhost/dnn to www.mywebsite.com/dnn, you will need to login to the portal BEFORE performing the migration and add "www.mywebsite.com/dnn" as a portal alias in Host --> Portals
1. Copy the DNN folder to the new machine
2. Backup the SQL database to a .bak file and move it to the new machine
3. Restore the database to SQL Server on the new machine
4. In SQL Server, create a new login in the MAIN SQL security folder, and add that login to the local security folder of the database you just created. The old login may not work. In a shared hosting environment, you may be automatically assigned a login and password for your database.
5. If the web address is changing, and you didn't create a portal alias before moving the site, you can do so in the SQL database. Open the "PortalAlias" table in the database you just copied (in SQL Server). Enter 0 for the PortalID and enter the new web address in the HTTPAlias. If you are using this site on the localhost, make sure to enter localhost/VirtualDirectoryName.
6. Go into the web.config file and make sure the connection strings are correct. This is CRUCIAL. Most likely the server name is changing, and you will need to make sure the username and password are valid with the new database. Remember, there are 2 sections you will need to change... connectionString and appSettings.
7. Create a new application in IIS, pointing to the new folder (usually automatic in a shared hosting environment)
8. If some of the information looks out of place when you view the site, it may be necessary to Restart the app in the Host Settings.
Note: It may be necessary to clear your internet explorer cache if changes aren't working. If you have access to IIS, and changes aren't showing up you may have to reset the app pool or the web site itself.
Robert