The SA, which is the user (on my local machine, not in production), is the owner.  I created the database before I ran the installation wizard.  

I entirely removed SQL Server from my laptop then installed 2016 again.  Same behavior on a new site.  I just finished setting up three copies of the site using backups from the host (they are using 2016 but Enterprise would be my guess) and gave them all three different names and domain names.  Two of them are fine.  The one I named DNNDEV.ME is throwing the same error as the newly installed ones.  The first time I tried to open it, it said there was a primary key error in PortalAlias although there is just one of everything in the table, including DNNDEV.ME.  Now, it is the same error as has been occuring all along, "http://dnndev.me/Default.aspx?tabid=59&error=An%20unexpected%20error%20has%20occurred&content=0."  

I have created a new custom error page and turned on debugging but still can't seem to get anything other than the DNN error page.  How do I go about getting the "yellow screen of death" in this environment?  I especially want to read the stack trace.    

I am going to go ahead and finish what I can without building custom modules and manually handle the situations I need to handle.  If the host will let me set up a couple of jobs, I won't need the custom modules right away, anyway.  It really is amazing what can be done with this out of the box.

Thanks for all the help you have been able to provide.  At least I know I'm not crazy or wasn't before this started.

JoAnn

Tony:
I have a restored copy of the real site.  In addition to that site, I am trying and failing at creating a separate fresh out of the box site for module development.  Using the Christoc templates requires that the work take place in a site called DNNDEV.ME.  I can neither create a clean out of the box site for this, nor can I clone the copy of the real site and rename it and have it work.  In both cases, I get the same errors.  Others have reported this same issue through various versions.  I had no trouble creating a new site until I installed SQL Server Express 2016.  It might be a coincidence. 

JoAnn