I have a long-standing site running on MojoPortal v2.3.9.5 (MSSQL), hosted at GoDaddy on one of their (now) "Classic" hosting packages, and I'm attempting to upgrade everything to the newest version of MojoPortal (v2.6.0.0 as of this writing). The GoDaddy hosting is a Windows account (obviously) running IIS 7.0 and is configured for a .NET v4.0/4.5 application pool.

I duplicated my site locally to a Windows 10 Home Premium machine running IIS (v10.0.14393.0) and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express Edition.

After unzipping the MojoPortal v2.6.0.0 (MSSQL) package to a new folder, adding it as a virtual directory, converting that to an Integrated .NET v4.5 application, and pointing the web.config to the same database, the scripts ran perfectly without issue.

...so I'm good to go, right?

WRONG

I upload the files from the MojoPortal v2.6.0.0 (MSSQL) package, taking care to remove any files from the v2.3.9.5 installation, at which point I got a generic server error (500) with no details.

Just to see if it was the database, I set up a new, fresh MSSQL database and point the install to the new MSSQL. Browsing the site yields the same generic server error.

I also changed out the source files to match the MojoPortal v2.6.0.0 (MySQL) version, pointing it to a new, fresh MySQL database, and running the install yields the same generic server error.

All attempts seem to fail BEFORE running anything in the "\Setup" folder... as it never redirects to the "\Setup\Default.aspx" file. Browsing directly to that file also fails with the same generic server error.

It seems as though something in the basic functionality of MojoPortal is incompatible with the setup at GoDaddy... but I haven't been able to locate the issue. I've examined the trust settings, the folder write permissions, and the IIS and .NET versions.

Does anyone have any idea what's going wrong?

Might I make a suggestion, then?

Maybe STOP listing the CURRENT hosting requirements as "ASP.NET 3.5 SP1 or ASP.NET 4.0/4.5" on the MojoPortal website? ( https://www.mojoportal.com/hosting-requirements )

Just a thought.

I went there BEFORE ever downloading MojoPortal version 2.6.0.0 to check the requirements:

• ASP.NET 3.5 SP1 or ASP.NET 4.0/4.5 — I have ASP.NET 4.0/4.5 — CHECK! — I can downgrade to v3.5 as well — DOUBLE CHECK!!!
• IIS 6 or higher — I have IIS v7.0 — CHECK!
• Database
  MSSQL 2005\2008\Azure — I have SQL Server version 2005 — CHECK!
  MySQL — I ALSO have MySQL — DOUBLE CHECK!!!

I seriously need a refresh of my website, and I'm really really trying to keep using MojoPortal, now that it seems to be "web 2.0" capable... but I'm beginning to see why THIS is the case! Had I decided to move entirely to WordPress, I could have manually re-created the website content and all uploads in less than half the time it's taken me (so far) to try to get MojoPortal v2.6.0.0 to work.

Sorry to vent, but why does upgrading MojoPortal always feel like pulling teeth? ...your OWN teeth? ...with a dull, rusty hatchet? ...and without any anesthetic?

I understand that mistakes happen and I appreciate your candor; however, that's a pretty gigantic thing to fall through the cracks.

As with the old adage "only a tiny percentage of people write to their congressman, so if you do it, you're actually representing thousands of people who have the same issue", the same is likely true here... namely HOW MANY people have tried to install MojoPortal, failed, and decided it was useless junk and went on to another CMS (likely WordPress) without ever bothering to register, sign in, and post a question to a platform they've never used before? (...and will probably never use because of their experience...)

I'm still right on the dull, rusty hatchet, though. 

BY THE WAY. I was able to crash your website because I use a browser plugin called "ScriptSafe" which blocks the loading of all client-side scripts until approved, and with that plugin running, submitting anything to the server (login, posting a comment or reply, etc.) results in an IIS error page. Client-side scripts should not be so powerful that without them your site bombs out.

The IIS error I receive is:

"Validation of viewstate MAC failed. If this application is hosted by a Web Farm or cluster, ensure that <machineKey> configuration specifies the same validationKey and validation algorithm. AutoGenerate cannot be used in a cluster."

The scripts that cause the server error when blocked are: ajax.aspnetcdn.com/ajax/4.5/6/MsAjaxBundle.js and (most likely) ajax.aspnetcdn.com/ajax/4.5/6/WebFormsBundle.js.