solved the puzzle with some help from a paper on the subject..... the target is this
000..
00.0.
0.0.0
.0.00
..000
below is one possible predecessor configuration, given by deleting a column and rearranging the remaining columns according to a specific permutation. thats an approach i didnt think of at all but someone else figured it out so i dont have to
0..0.
...00
0.0..
..000
0.0.0
now that i understand the method from that paper, this gives a new class of puzzles i know how to solve..... will have to search for more puzzles that these techniques cannot do