Got the db 'conversion' scripts to run. As I/we suspected the errors were not fatal and pretty much were corrected by an event later in the process. As the scipt approach is very different [at least in my head...] from a db backup and restore, there is stuff in the old db that isn't on the other end, and there is stuff in the final db not in the original...
That said, the instance copy is straightforward. The connect strings took some work as the 'original' server was apparently SQL Express so I had to put the strings into the 'other' [SQL Server?] format.
Startup was surprising because DNN apparently recognizes the db is half-baked and kicks off an 'upgrade' process that goes back a dozen or more versions and steps through them one-by-one; most are successful but a lot are not... In the end it concludes that there were errors [SQL related..., and DNN versions I never really 'stopped' at]. But it said my web site is 'ready' and lets me run it. It popped up and looked great!!. The euphoria ended quickly with the following fatal issues:
NONE of the HTML modules appear anywhere on the site. They just aren't there, and there is no hint of them... They are in the db, though...
Login FAILS. It says an error occurred, but lets me at least try. NONE of the users can log in either. Registration fails as well. I haven't poked around the db for errors because the stupid Plesk SQL db console timeout is set for 15 seconds...
The last time I saw this behavior it had to do with machinekey codes. I never did get an answer, but neither old nor new ones work... I cannot be the first one who has run into this...
Today at least, DNN and Plesk both suck when it comes to web site portability [or maybe it is a Microsoft issue]... GoDaddy's 'Classic' hosting console has warts but at least backup and restore worked predictably. I will regress to it, Danica and Bob willing...
Thanks for listening.
Hope this helps somebody save a week or so out of their life...
Bob H.