I am upgrading my site from DNN 4.8.3 to DNN 5.2.3. My site relies on "parent portals" so I ALWAYS test all of the portal logic on my localhost system. Since mu ISP PowerDNN recently upgraded to SQL Server 2008, I have to upgrade to SQL Express 2008 in order to restore the backup files. I am doing this testing on my Windows 7 Pro 64bit system.

1. Backup database and files with PDNN control panel and download to local host.
   (Backup-yyyy-mm-dd.zip)
2. Delete the old files at C:\ASI3 (the location of web site) You may have to stop IIS and even reboot to delete files. Yuk
3. UnZip the backup into in the empty C:\ASI3
4. In Windows Explorer -> Properties insure that C:\ASI3, user ‘DefaultAppPool’ has Modify permissions. Note When entering this user use the name ‘IIS AppPool\DefaultAppPool’
5. In Windows Explorer -> Properties -> Add -> Advanced -> Find Now insure that C:\ASI3, user ‘IIS_IUSRS’ has the default permissions
6. Edit web.config (located up a couple directories) in httpdoc (the web root) to have the correct access strings. In my case both strings are in the file, marked by ++ and one of each set is commented out.
7. Rename C:\ASI3\agingsafely to C:\ASI3\agingsafely.bak
8. In SQL Mngt Studio Express delete the ASI3 database and recreate it by restoring from C:\ASI3\agingsafely.bak  Note: I keep databases in c:\ASI-Databases
9. In SQL Mngt Studio Express’s ASI3 Security\Users add 'IIS APPOOL\Classic .NET AppPool' as the DB_Owner  Note: Under WindowsXP this was ASPNET, I guess
10. In IIS Manager insure the Default Document (Default.aspx) is the highest priority.
11. In IIS Manager insure the ASI3 is and Application pointing to the directory containing web.config
12. Bring up the localhost version of the site and briefly test that it works running DNN4.8.3
13. Comment out PageBlaster and iFinity Freindly URL in web config be because these programs often cause DNN upgrades to fail.
14. UnZip the DNN 5.2.3 urgrade kit over the existing files
15. Access locahhost/asi3 and watch the upgrad occur. There are NO ERRORS to my great pleasure!

I now go to the site and start wandering around insuring that ListX and other important parts of my site are working.

All is working well UNTIL I select DNN's Portals page and I get the yellow screen of death.

[NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object.]
   DotNetNuke.UI.Containers.ActionBase.get_ActionRoot() +52
   DotNetNuke.UI.Containers.ActionBase.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) +57

[ModuleLoadException: An error has occurred.]
   DotNetNuke.Services.Exceptions.Exceptions.ProcessModuleLoadException(String FriendlyMessage, 
                 Control ctrl, Exception exc, Boolean DisplayErrorMessage) +141
   DotNetNuke.UI.Containers.ActionBase.Page_Load(Object sender, EventArgs e) +220
   System.EventHandler.Invoke(Object sender, EventArgs e) +


----------------------------------------------------------------
Any ideas wher to go next? The only page effected seems to be the portals page.

Normally I use my own xhtml skin for both the site and host.  The host page has shifted to the Blue DNN skin.
but what I am seeing still looks like my own skin.

/DaveS