I finally got mine to work on my test box.  Most of it came down to the filling out of data in the release/web.config file properly.  The couple gotchas that got me were: (BTW my setup is with SQL2K)

• By default, in the release.config file, the SQL Express stuff is enabled.  Comment this stuff out.

• By default, in the release.config file, the SQL2003/SQL2000 stuff is commented out.  Need to uncomment this stuff out and get the connection strings filled out.

• By default, the legacy conneciton strings are commented out for SQL2003/SQL2000.  SQL Express is enabled.  Had to uncomment and comment out like above.

• But for what ever reason (could be the editor I was using <shrug>) the connection string in the "legacy" section didn't copy properly.  <--- This was the one that was really causing my issues. I'm not sure what happned at this step, but in my series of troubleshooting/restoring etc., I managed to make this error on each and every of the previous *5* upgrade attempts.  I kept each of the previous unsuccessful upgrade attempts for comparison and did this on the previous ones also.   I still don't know why this happened, but this is what was causing my upgrade woes.

• The encryption section made it over each and every time.  I though this would have been this part that woudl have screwed me up.
  

So for the most part, my issues were with the release/web config file. So in the end, these were my final steps (note this is for and upgrade from 4.0.3 to 4.3.4):

1. BACKUP! BACKUP! BACKUP! (back up that database, backup your files)  I personally like burning it to CD since your file then won't get contaminated if you mess up on a copy location.
2. Rename your current web.config file.  I tend to use dates in my "renaming" process. So it ended up somthing like this... web.2006.08.12.config.old
3. Extract the 4.3.4 upgrade package and copy everything from that into your DNN structure.  Replace all files/directorys as needed.
4. Make a copy of the release.config and rename that copy to web.config
5. Make your changes to this new web.config file (comment out/uncomment you required connection string, fill out the proper information as required, don't forget your encryption keys also) Also if there are any custom modules/changes you have made, you will need to also add those in.
6. Save your webconfig file, and cross your fingers.
7. Go on to your website, and the upgrade process should start and do it's thing.

This was the process I ended up doing in the end.  Pretty similar to what the docs recommend.  All I say say, is make sure that web.config file is done properly.  OHh yeah, and BACKUP, BACKUP, BACKUP!!!

Cheers,
Greg


 
 

After one week of try and errors, I found out the problem why I can't create the web site using the templates I exprted in DNN 4.3.4. I thought that was because I didn't do the steps right, but that was not the reason. The problem was DNN 4.3.4, because after I rollback the DNN back to DNN 4.0.3, the problem were all gone.

In DNN 4.3.4, even if I just change the password for host account in the default install template, the web site will got created, but can't login to the host account with the new or old PW.

Maybe right now it is still not the time for me to upgrade to version 4.3.4 yet......

Ting-Wei

Hi:

So I need to unzip the Upgrade pkg then copy over the current DNN folder after do the steps that your're mentioned?

I'm new to the DNN and its concepts.

Thanks,

dcpt