The login depends upon the password salt. Did you also move the local files to server as well. If no, then open your config/site.php and copy the password salt then open the same in server and replace it with the local one.

Rony

both local and live did not have a password_salt, I've added these and reset my passwords for admin on each account, but the local and live database entries for upassword are different!
I was hoping that they would be identical.

Any ideas?

Are you sure MYSQL is configured the same? No lowercase table names on your local machine?
That's why I always start with a clean db when I move to a live environment.

PS. Doesn't the lost password function work?

i started with an empty live database and exported the local one via sql to the live one.
In an ideal world i'd point my local dev machine at the live database, but it is hideously slow for some reason. I want to develop and then update periodically so the client can see progress etc.

So I have resorted to working with a local database and exporting it to out to live.
This password issue is preventing me from doing a straight copy from local to live.

I can reset the password and the reset of the site is ok , so far...
Any ideas

What if you truncate the database(production server) and made an export just of the data(so not the structure). And import that data in the truncated database of your production server.

That could work as long as the structure of the database isn't changing.

For anyone still having this issue (like I was). Try:

define('PASSWORD_HASH_PORTABLE', true);

in config/site.php