This looks like what you need:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc303309.aspx

Almost scared to ask, but when you did your install, did you do a basic install, or a stand alone farm?

Your log files are out of control because you aren't backing up the t-logs.  They will just grow and grow.

ACH1LLES,
It is a basic install on only 1 server. Ah ok, i'll perform a backup of the logs and see if it goes down in size.

SharePoint rule number one, don't ever do a basic install.

After you back up the logs, they won't drop in size.  However, they will won't grow any larger as long as you regularily back them up.  To actually shrink the size of them, you will need to run a tsql command.

This is a serious task you are trying to do.  Tell me a bit about your environment.  Is there any custom code?  How many sites do you have?  Is this a heavily used production environment?

Did you perform the preupgrade scan of the database?   STSADM.EXE -o preupgradecheck

Reviewing this report will tell you what is going to have a problem or not. Your database is quite manageable in size so the upgrade should be pretty easy.  Best guess is you have some ustom web parts that may not be compatible on SharePoint 2010.  Is there a way to uninstall any 3rd part web parts you may have prior to trying the upgrade?  

When things do not go right, I generally try to simplify  the task by eliminating questionable pieces of the solution.  To try a simple test to validate your methodology, try backing up a single site collection, (if you don't have one create one) and restore it using a new URL and web app and content database on 3.0.  Take that content database and see if you can successfully migrate it using all of the necessary steps performed in a migration.  Refer to technet or one of several blogs out there on the migration steps.
 

Honestly if I were you, and it totally depends on your situation, I would install WSS 3 (verify same version level as your old farm) on your 64 bit machine and create a new farm.  Make sure you choose a farm install, complete.  Then manually create the web applications in your new farm.  I would then detatch the content db's for your web applications in your old farm, move them over to your new server, and attach (in SQL then in Central Admin).  Detatching databases can be done with the following sql commands:



Then verify your sites are up and running.  You will have to mirror any config you had in Central Admin on you old farm on the new one as these changes won't be migrated.  

AFter WSS 3 is running normally on your new machine, you can go ahead and do the upgrade to SharePoint 2010 Foundation.

sqlcmd -S np:\\.\pipe\MSSQL$MICROSOFT##SSEE\sql\query
use master
alter database SUSDB set single_user with rollback immediate
go
sp_detach_db SUSDB
go

Select allOpen in new window

Substitute your DB names in the above code instead of SUSDB

webmaister,
This is the only issue that came up on the preupgradecheck that I performed, see below:


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Potential Upgrade Blocking Issues
Issue : This server machine in the farm does not have a 64 bit version of Windows Server 2008 SP2 or higher installed.  
Upgrading in-place to SharePoint 2010 requires a 64 bit edition of Windows Server 2008 SP2 or higher.
If you are planning to perform an in-place upgrade to SharePoint 2010, please upgrade the server machines in your farm to a 64 bit edition of Windows Server 2008 SP2 or higher, or migrate the current content databases from this farm to a new farm with servers running 64 bit edition of Windows Server 2008 SP2 or higher. Before attempting to install or upgrade to SharePoint 2010, please ensure that you run the SharePoint 2010 pre-requisites installer beforehand to ensure you have the correct set of prerequisites and patches installed. For more information about this rule, see KB article 954770 in the rule article list at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=120257.

 
Issue : Databases within this farm are hosted on Windows Internal Database and are larger than or close to 4GB in size.  
The following databases are hosted on Windows Internal Database and are larger than or close to 4GB in size and will require additional administrator intervention to upgrade:
SharePoint_Config_9d099411-fc47-41e7-9a09-20fe13a866ba
WSS_Content

One or more databases are larger than or close to 4 GB in size, which could prevent the databases from being attached to a SQL Express 2008 instance as part of an upgrade to SharePoint 2010. There are several alternatives to mitigate this issue, including reducing the size of the site collections in the content databases, reducing the number of site collections within each large content database, moving the content databases to a different SQL instance running under a full version of SQL, or migrating the content databases to Remote BLOB Storage as part of the upgrade process. For more information about this rule and the actions you may need to perform to reduce the database sizes or to successfully upgrade, please see KB article 954783 in the rule article list at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=120257.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The strange thing is that when I look at the database WSS_Contents, its only 1.8GB in size, but the log is 9GB. The config one is 10MB in side but the log is 14GB in size.

I do not have anything out of the norm. It is used for production. I have about 10 different sites on sharepoint though.

Thanks.
 

Again, your log files are huge as you've never regularily backed them up.  

ACH1LLES,
Let me shrink the log files first and then i'll follow your instructions to migrate the sites etc. to the new WSS 3.0 64-bit installation. When you say "Then manually create the web applications in your new farm. ", do you mean to manually create each site?

To shrink the database with tsql, is that a built in command or do I need to download something to get it?

Thanks,
Sergio

Yeah, in central admin you will have to create the web apps and sites.

You can download a sqlcmd tool here:  http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/4/D/44DBDE61-B385-4FC2-A67D-48053B8F9FAD/SQLServer2005_SQLCMD.msi

More info:  http://www.mssqltips.com/tip.asp?tip=1577

I tried running the link to install the sqlcmd tool but it says that I need to install the native client. Remember, this is an internal database that comes with sharepoint. How can I install the native client?

Thanks again.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/4/4/D/44DBDE61-B385-4FC2-A67D-48053B8F9FAD/sqlncli.msi

Does the new server have to have the same name as the old server?

Thanks again.

No.  But really depends on your requirements.

I'm trying to run the following to shrink the log files after installing the native client and sql tools:

USE SharePoint_Config_9d099411-fc47-41e7-9a09-20fe13a866ba
GO
DBCC SHRINKFILE(SharePoint_Config_9d099411-fc47-41e7-9a09-20fe13a866ba_log, 1)
BACKUP LOG myDatabase WITH TRUNCATE_ONLY
DBCC SHRINKFILE(SharePoint_Config_9d099411-fc47-41e7-9a09-20fe13a866ba_log, 1)

But I get an sql error stating:
Msg 911, Level 16, State 1, Line 1
Could not locate entry in sysdatabases for database 'SharePoint_Config_9d099411'. No entry found with that name. Make sure that the name is entered correctly.
Msg 102, Level 15, State 1, Line 1
Incorrect syntax near '-'.
Msg 102, Level 15, State 1, Line 3
Incorrect syntax near '-'.

Maybe i'm not using the correct strings to execute. Can you please help?

Thanks.

You need to open a new question and tag the SQL server guys.

OK, I figured out how to truncate them, they are all at low sizes now. I'll continue with your instructions and will let you know.

Thanks.

Hi,
I'm installing the WSS 3.0 64-bit on Windows server 2008 R2 64-bit and am in the installation part where it asks Basic or Advanced, I choose Advanced and now its asking to select Web Front End or Stand-alone, which one should I select?

Thanks.

Stand alone.  I think it says "complete".

Wouldnt not having the same server name as the old sharepoint server create issues once the database is attached to the new server?

no.  What is your status?  did you get WSS installed?  Did you get SQL installed somwhere?  have you detatched and moved your content db's over?

I installed WSS 3.0 64-bit on the Server 2008 R2 64-bit server. I installed SQL management studio. Sharepoint is up and running on the new 64-bit server with an internal database. What should I do next? Create the different sites manually?

Yeah go ahead and create your web apps and sites.  When creating your web apps, use a bogus name for your content db.  Once you move your content db's from the old to the new and attache in sql, you will jump in Central Admin, and attach them to your web apps.

I just checked my existing sharepoint 3.0 and I dont think i'm using any web apps. I do have 12 sites including the main site which has the name of http:\\eb-instrasite

That is not the server name, I renamed it to that in central admin.

What should I do, just create the sites?

You must be a SharePoint newbie :)

When I say web apps I'm talking about SharePoint web apps, not IIS.  On you old server, go into Central Admin - Application Management - Web Application List.  These are your web apps.  You will be moving all of them except for Central Admin.

Each of these web apps have at least one associated content db.  Inside the db is where your sites live. To see the names of your content dbs, in Central Admin go to Application Management - Content Databases.  

You can't have SharePoint sites without a web app.

Yes, I definitely am. OK, let me check your response out and i'll get back to you. Thank you.

OK, my web apps are the default ones, I never added any other or created any. What would I do in this case?

ACH1LLES,
I got it to restore, but it wouldnt do it using the GUI. I had to use stsadm -o addcontentdb -url -databasename WSS_Content

Then the database attached on sharepoint after attaching it first on SQL. It appears that I have a lot of work to do in order to get certain configs to work the way I had the other sharepoint. For example, the outgoing SMTP settings etc.

Overall, it worked, looks good. Thank you very much for your patience and help!

Sergio