Mark,

I came from the same background as you, lo these many years agone; let me see if I can help with an explanation.

MojoPortal doesn't create the database automatically, and on many servers, you have to create your db and db users separately.  If you're using SQLExpress, you can just use trusted connection, but on a production server, that won't be feasible.  By doing these steps, you create the info you'll need to insert into your connection string.

Even in traditional ASP you needed to create a connection string to the db server; in .Net, you set the connection string in the web.config or user.config files.  User.Config simply lets you abstract your settings a little further.  Yes, you could change the file name, and then edit the info - whatever order works best for you.

My favorite source for connection string formats when I have a case of the mind-blank is www.connectionstrings.com - it's great for remembering the right format per environment.

Hope this helps you out a bit!

Costas,  I spent 2 days getting a copy of SQL Express installed on my machine, (don't ask, the installers kept failing for various BS reasons), the last thing I want to do is try to install another version.  Besides, I know for a fact that the hosting server will need a copy of the SQL .mdf file in order to function correctly.  So I'm stuck with what I got.

Indigo, when I create the db, am I going to need to create the tables and such or will Mojo do that dynamically?  Umm... wait, where am I creating this db?  Inside of SQL Manager???  (forgive my ignorance, I haven't used SQL since 2001)

Thanks guys!

SQL Express 2008 so I'm told...  I believe it was installed with VS 2010 Express when I finally gave up trying to use the SQL Installers, but it is there and running.

Any particular naming convention I need to adhere to for the db and usernames?   I spent the last 9 years using nothing but Access for simple db work and forgot all about the "sa" and instances stuff.  Whats worse is that now I am 10 years older and a few thousands beers later this stuff doesn't come as easy anymore.  I'll be watching videos for the next couple hours...

Yeah, I use to do a lot of applications in VB6 so I knew it would be a somewhat easy transition to VB.NET, but the asp.net migration is a little slower, so many new things to consider.

"popcorn and caffeine"... lol, for me it will be peanut M & M's and a cold beer.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Glad you were able to figure things out.  MojoPortal is a great CMS product, but not so much with the e-comm.  For a fantastic open-source e-comm solution, I suggest nopCommerce.  As of this time it's still free, and a very robust e-comm solution.  I've used it for clients, and have nothing but good results.  There are a few folks who've combined mojo and nopCommerce in their website offerings - I haven't done so yet, but I'm considering it.  Good luck!