>If I try RUNning the exe from inside the IDE, I get anther whole bunch of errors, so I am running around in useless circles...

Is this related to the other thread regarding the Main.PRG ? If so, did you remember to strip out the DO Main (along with any other bits of code you may have added in trying to debug the forms within the IDE) within the INIT of the forms prior to compiling the EXE?
Also, just in case the EXE doesn't perform a SET DEFAULT to the folder where it resides, you can do the SET DEFAULT to change the folder where the EXE is located prior to launching the EXE from the IDE.

Depending on the age of the program, something that is often worth checking is seeing if it could be related to directory in which the program resides -- in particular if having a space in the folder name is a factor. If the folder where the EXE is located in a location where there is a space in the full path, try relocating it to a path that doesn't have spaces (and perhaps even conforming to old DOS-style 8.3 limitations) and see if the problems persist. If they "magically" disappears then things like macro expansion would be usual suspect.
Another factor you can also check is if it's relating to a network connection. If the program you're trying to debug resides on a network, try relocating it to a local drive and see if that makes a difference.
Yet another thing to check is look in the project file to see which VCXs are included -- cross-check with references you've got within the forms to make sure they're consistent. I'd run across an occasion where project file included a different copy than what the form was based on. This could happen on those occasions where the project folder was relocated from between computers. Likewise another PITA problem would be if you're dealing with situations where code was being shuffled between 32-bit and 64-bit systems (which would mean the base folder where VFP is located would be different).