I want to take an existing site, export the site with content, and install a fresh copy on the initial installation just like the "Awesome Cycles" you get from a default DNN installation. I see how it can be done my installing a 2nd site, but I don't want two sub-portals, I simply want  to be able to hand off a ZIP to an ISP that they can execute to create a default portal that has the content, skins, modules, etc, I need installed.

Obviously I'll need to deal with non-portable content, and users, etc, but it seems the doco to create the equivalent of the Awesome Cycles package is non-existent.  I was able to get this to work on the "old-days" of DNN 3/4, but not in DNN7.

Any hints?

I got part of the way there. If I go to my production site and export a template, create an empty local site and expand the DNN 7.3 installation into it, then copy my template to portals/_default it shows up as available during the initial install. So far so good.

If I select that I get a partial install that fails with and object reference error, then when I retry I get a division by zero error. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be any logs that say anything useful.

I assume that that's happening is the skins and modules that I need aren't there and that I need to put them "somewhere" so they install. Where that somewhere is, and is my assumption is correct is the question of the hour.

It's odd there's basically no documentation about this since DNN would be an ideal solution to compete with something like WIX. Have a whole set of templates that you just pick to jumpstart your site, then have all the customization of DNN moving forward.

Farther along, still getting the same error as before. 

{"progress":36,"details":"Initializing Host Settings","check0":"Done","check1":"Done","check2":"Done","check3":"NotStarted","check4":"NotStarted","check5":"NotStarted"}

{"progress":54,"details":"Creating Site [Twin City Track Club]","check0":"Done","check1":"Done","check2":"Done","check3":"Running","check4":"NotStarted","check5":"NotStarted"}

{"progress":54,"details":"ERROR:Object reference not set to an instance of an object.","check0":"Done","check1":"Done","check2":"Done","check3":"Running","check4":"NotStarted","check5":"NotStarted"}

I've put all the associated modules in the Modules folder, skins in Skins, and containers in Containers. From the looks of things they are all successfully installed. Database seems to be there, but it fails right at the beginning of the web site creation using the template I generated from an existing site.