newbe basic config problem

[eluser]Unknown[/eluser]
I have inherited a project/site using CodeIgniter and I'm trying to get it move to another hosting company. The file are loaded and the database is in place. the database and config file have been updated.

The application has a login function to start. The page loads but when a user name and password are entered the response comes back "There was an issue while contacting the base server.
Please try again in a few seconds. "

CodeIgniter is in a subdirectory http://www.domain.com/learning/ I have the $config['base_url'] set for http://www.domain.com/learning/

I have searched the forum and the internet for answers and have come up dry.

Any help is much appreciated

[eluser]CroNiX[/eluser]
Does your database user have the proper database permissions for read/write/update/insert, etc?

Are you autoloading the database in /application/config/autoload.php? If so, are there any other problems? Or do you totally have to log in first before accessing anything else?