What I usually do, is to run a clean install of Elgg on the production site before transferring my data via a MySQL dump of the test site.

Perhaps try a clean install?

I have done server migrations several times. I wish I had times these days for a Skype screenshare maybe to help you ...? Too bad!

Did a clean reinstall. Need my users and everything so I imported the database and am still getting the same login error.

@Grizzwald : think its due to a mod_rewrite issue. Check your .htaccess

Mod_Rewrite part of the .htaccess:

<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>

RewriteEngine on

# If Elgg is in a subdirectory on your site, you might need to add a RewriteBase line
# containing the path from your site root to elgg's root. e.g. If your site is
# http://example.com/ and Elgg is in http://example.com/sites/elgg/, you might need
#
#RewriteBase /sites/elgg/
#
# here, only without the # in front.
#
# If you're not running Elgg in a subdirectory on your site, but still getting lots
# of 404 errors beyond the front page, you could instead try:
#
#RewriteBase /

RewriteRule ^action\/([A-Za-z0-9\_\-\/]+)$ engine/handlers/action_handler.php?action=$1&%{QUERY_STRING}

RewriteRule ^services\/api\/([A-Za-z0-9\_\-]+)\/(.*)$ engine/handlers/service_handler.php?handler=$1&request=$2&%{QUERY_STRING}

RewriteRule ^export\/([A-Za-z]+)\/([0-9]+)$ services/export/handler.php?view=$1&guid=$2
RewriteRule ^export\/([A-Za-z]+)\/([0-9]+)\/$ services/export/handler.php?view=$1&guid=$2
RewriteRule ^export\/([A-Za-z]+)\/([0-9]+)\/([A-Za-z]+)\/([A-Za-z0-9\_]+)\/$ services/export/handler.php?view=$1&guid=$2&type=$3&idname=$4

RewriteRule ^\_css\/css\.css$ _css/css.php

RewriteRule ^pg\/([A-Za-z0-9\_\-]+)\/(.*)$ engine/handlers/pagehandler.php?handler=$1&page=$2&%{QUERY_STRING}
RewriteRule ^pg\/([A-Za-z0-9\_\-]+)$ engine/handlers/pagehandler.php?handler=$1&%{QUERY_STRING}

RewriteRule xml-rpc.php engine/handlers/xml-rpc_handler.php
RewriteRule mt/mt-xmlrpc.cgi engine/handlers/xml-rpc_handler.php

RewriteRule ^tag/(.+)/?$ engine/handlers/pagehandler.php?handler=search&page=$1

</IfModule>

Tried the mod_rewrite test, it worked.

How did you solve the problem Grizwald?

I haven't solved it. I'm just saying the mod_rewrite test proved mod_rewrite is still working, not that the site worked. The site is still totally broken.

The problem could be:

- The path of the site and the url are incorrect, check out into the db, the elgg_sites_entity and elgg_datalists, if those paths are correct.

- All The path must end with a slash "/"

Cheers.

Also you could check the login action:

Search into your proyect files, under the mod, for 'register_action("login"', the second param of the action, must be true, wich is a public action. If it is set to false, you never be able to login into the site.

Cheers.