This feels as if all the files are not unzipping correctly. Try unzipping the files on another computer. I recently had an upgrade that went waaaay wrong because the computer would not unzip all the files. I don't know why this was but it was the problem. Also if you have a short attention span and want a lot of pictures, try these links:

Hi Joe,

Others here are probably more qualified to help you with the troubleshooting as I admit my experience with DNN is a short 2 years but my question to you is more of the process you've followed to get a live production site down to a local machine for development.  Reading through your post it looks like the process was to first upgrade the live site to 4.8.4, correct?  Did this go smoothly with no problems?  If so, I'm confused as to why you would unzip and install the 4.8.4 install package and restore the db of this install with the live db backup.  You also stated that you copied over some skin files from the live site to the local install. Do you only have access to the portal directory or do you have access to the root folder of the installation of the live site? I would guess it's access to the root since you stated you upgraded the site to 4.8.4  I guess what I'm questioning or not understanding is why you did the local install in the first place.  My process, from the recommendation of others here on the forums, has been to simply zip up the live site's root directory, ftp down the zip file, make a backup of the live db, and then unzip the files into a newly created directory on my local machine, assign permissions, point IIS to it, restore the db and make the appropriate changes to the portal alias table.

This may be exactly what you're doing so forgive me if I have misunderstood but if it is not and you are first installing 4.8.4 locally and then trying to restore the live sites db and copy down select files from the live site to this new install, I find this to be a more complicated approach than needs be.

Paul