There was no need to hack into any tables when I encountered this error. All I did was correct the settings in Admin->Portal Settings. That solved it for me. Making changes directly into the database is something I would only do if all else fails.

I tried yesterday to create a new multi-lingual portal under 5.4.2 and my non-en-US settings came up correctly, i.e. as a copy of the default language. From what you tell me, the problem has not been solved in the case of an upgrade.

I do agree with you that documentation of all aspects of DNN community version is kind of lagging behind. Finding the answers requires a lot of research through forums and blogs and demands a lot of goodwill of people manning this web site. Sometimes, bugs slip through the beta testers and occasionaly, one may have to skip an upgrade until a specific problem is solved. But when you take the trouble to report a bug, it is taken serious and acted upon.

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The one-eyed in the land of the blind.

Sorry but localization settings is not going to help me - my Portal settings drop down for the default Language is COMPLETELY EMPTY. So even if I wanted to choose a default language... I can't. I guess I am going to have to HACK the tables (as suggested before) just to make my default language EN-US. I don't believe this will fix the problem, as previously hacking it in a similar way did not solve the issue either. My next step is to painstakingly upgrade one minor version at a time, and see if that solves this issue. Maybe I am just too far behind. I really don't want to hack the code itself, but I will if I have to.