Apparently installing DotNetNuke is quite tricky. I did make a few mistakes which wasted a few minutes. So hopefully this post will save you from hassle.

1. Get your Internet Information Server (IIS) up and running

   IIS is by default available on Windows 2000 all version, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003. If you have Windows XP Home Edition, don’t worry. This hack should help to get IIS installed on Windows XP Home Edition. To confirm your installation click this HERE.

2. Install .NET Framework 2.0

   Get your .NET Framework 2.0 HERE. The trick is always to get .NET Framework installed after your IIS confirmed up and running. You can’t do it the other way round. For most Windows XP installation, usually .NET Framework is already installed by default. If you happen to have such condition, you need to uninstall your .NET Framework, confirm that your IIS is up and running and then you proceed to install .NET Framework.

3. Download DotNetNuke

   Although I recommended .NET Framework 2.0 at step 2, DotNetNuke older version is running on .NET Framework 1.1. So if you haven’t upgrade your .NET Framework to 2.0 and you don’t have intention to do so, download the DotNetNuke version 3.x. Otherwise, download version 4.x. The download page is HERE.

4. Setup the Folder

   Extract the archive you download in Step 3. In this example we will assume the installation folder is C:DotNetNuke. Right-click on C:DotNetNuke folder, click Properties. On the General tab, make sure the Read-Only checkbox is not ticked. On the Security tab, add user “ASPNET” and give it Full Control access rights. You might want to add user “IUSER_YOURCOMPUTERNAME” (the IIS guest account) and give it non-Write access rights.

5. Setup the Virtual Directory

   
   Open the IIS Management Console. You could do it by Start–Run-type “C:WindowsSystem32inetserviis.msc“-OK, or by Start–Run-type “compmgmt.msc“-OK continued by browsing to the IIS section. Right-click on the Default Web Site, New -> Virtual Directory. A wizard window will show up, click Next. Put DotNetNuke in the Alias text box, click Next. Browse to “C:DotNetNuke”, click Next. Tick Read and Run Scripts only, click Next. Click Finish.

6. Install Database

   Although DotNetNuke supports not only MS SQL Database, I have yet to research them. In this opportunity, I will only discuss about MS SQL. Hopefully someday I will have time to test DotNetNuke installation with other type of Databases and report it there. Okay, first you need to download your copy of MS SQL Express Edition. You can downloaded it HERE.

7. Setup Database

   
   Open your SQL Server Management Studio (Start -> All Programs -> Microsof SQL Server 2005 -> SQL Server Management Studio). Click Connect. Above Database, Right-click -> New Database. Give the database a name, in this case we will name it MyDNN and click OK.

   
   Go to Security -> Logins. Above Logins, Right-click -> New Login. Type the Login Name –we will call it myDNNuser and then change the radio-button into SQL Server Authentication, and then type the password and confirm it, and then select the Default Database (i.e. MyDNN), and finally click OK.

   
   Go back to the MyDNN Database -> Security -> MyDNNuser -> Right-click -> Properties. Make sure db_owner on the “Schemas owned by this user is ticked”

8. Edit Configuration File

   On the folder “C:DotNetNuke” you will find web.config, edit it. If you could not find web.config, rename release.config into web.config. Look for a tag called <connectionStrings>. Inside it, comment the first child tag and uncomment the second one. Make sure you put the correct value in that tag. (i.e. value=”Server=YOUR_ComputerNameSQLEXPRESS; Database=myDNN; uid=myDNNuser; pwd=the_password;”). Do the same on the other tag called <appSettings>

After this you need to point your browser to “http://localhost/DotNetNuke/Install/install.aspx”. The installation should be automatic. Problems? Critics? Suggestions? Just drop your opinion on the comments. 🙂

How often do we write emails in a day? For myself, at least once a day. Mr. Dan Santow advises us on how to write the email’s subject better. But why do we need to write the email’s subject better? Definitely to make us look more professional, and reduce the possibility of HR Manager having regrets for hiring a person who unable to create good subject on their emails 🙂

Highlight of his advises is Write it after you write the email body, and keep it short. Interestingly, folks at Lifeclever take it to the extreme by suggesting to write email with subject only. I personally think this idea of subject-only email is brilliant. Imagine when your boss email/SMS you saying that the Web Application on the production server is down. After fixing it, you could just this email:

But it is interesting considering that the local customs tend to promote ‘beating-the-bush’. Will subject-only emails makes us scorned? Another interesting discussion would be whether this subject-only-emails applicable when communicating with people outside your organization/clients? Since doing that might render us as being rude and lazy 🙂

So my conclusion would be:

1. I will take Mr. Dan Santow’s advise wholeheartedly
2. Lifeclever’s advise is good for making your communications more effective. But in the beginning you might need to give a one-time warning/ask permission about the possibility of you sending them subject-only emails in the future

Ok. That’s my take. What about yours?

Sources:

Get your email read with a killer subject line

Subject to Change

Get to the point with subject-only emails

I have created a free Quote of Day that can be incorporated into your website seamlessly. As a small favor, when people click the text, they will be brought to this page.

To add the QOTD anywhere in your page you can just add the following code:

Code	Explanation
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://sodeve.net/qotd/qotd.js" > </script>	To use the default font color
<script langugage="javascript" type="text/javascript"> var qotd_background = "#EEEEEE"; var qotd_color="#F9CCCC"; </script> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://sodeve.net/qotd/qotd.js" > </script>	To specify the color to be used as background and foreground.

 

The example of below code is shown in the QOTD of this blog.

<script langugage="javascript" type="text/javascript">  
var qotd_style = "font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;color:#000000;background-color:#FFFFFF";  
</script> 
<script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://sodeve.net/qotd/qotd.js" >  </script>