Network dashboard gives error 500, though main site and its adminCP load file

This is driving me crazy. I have followed the manual update tutorial. Then when going to the update.php page, it says it does not need an update (latest version already). Going to the /wp-admin/network/ again gives Server 500 error !

What else can be done ?

I have already made clean installation of WP 3 times so far, with the same result !!

After I was frustrated the first time (which was the cause of this post) I removed WP totally and all files and started a new installation.
I configred the network, then imported the contents of the old 3 blogs that I want to combine into this network. Then copied their themes and until that point everything worked fine.
All of a sudden, with out any evident specific thing that might have caused it, I got the 500 error again !!

This happened 3 times and it is very very frustrating !

Before the error happened the last time, I made a backup of the DB using WP DB Manager. Then I looked at it, and found that it is only a backup of the main site, not the whole network.

So what can I do ???? What exactly happens there?

I looked into the /network/error_log and this is what I found:

[27-Feb-2012 23:19:43] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:19:52] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:21:06] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:21:36] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:21:38] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:21:49] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:23:57] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[27-Feb-2012 23:44:56] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[28-Feb-2012 12:17:45] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[28-Feb-2012 14:11:02] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22
[28-Feb-2012 14:12:12] PHP Fatal error:  Call to undefined function  get_current_screen() in public_html/wp-admin/network/settings.php on line 22

Line 22 in settings.php is:

get_current_screen()->add_help_tab( array(

get_current_screen() is called when you go to admin pages on your site. That it’s working on /wp-admin but NOT wp-admin/network makes me wonder if there’s a permissions issue.

Well I have tried everything as you saw!

Anyway, in the fourth time, this is what I have done:
I kept taking backups of the whole network DB via PHPMYADMIN, after every successful step.
I think I can say that the problem was occurring after I completed importing the contents (xml)files of one of the old blogs that I want to combine.
Now when the problem occured, I imported the last DB I created with PHPMYADMIN before the 500 error appeared. After importing it, the Network dashboard loads fine, and to my surprise, the contents of the child blog I was importing into one of the new subsites in the network, were imported fine. I still do not understand how that heppened.

So after I have done other things, I got the error again. and this time I imported from a more recent backup, one that I took later, only seconds before the error appeared.

I did that twice. Now my network seems to have settled down, and I am performing normal tasks with no issue, and the error did not appear again.
But I am very worreid that later, after I complete everything and delete the old original sites, the prblem comes again, and then I wont have the old sites to import the content from if anything goes wrong. How can I assure myself ?

Thanx

You can’t.

There’s a lot going on with this install, and that makes it hard to dial things back to understand exactly what caused the problem in thr first place. Normally the steps are to reduce and simplify the problem until it makes itself evident.

Thanx Ipstenu. Last install I did without SimpliScripts, as you advised me. But the problem still occurred although it was a completely clean install.
I have another network on a different hosting account in the same company (Hostmonster) and I did not have the issue. But there it’s sub directories not subdomains.

I am keen to know the reason. It would be a disaster if it appeared after I deleted the original sites. But I am really not sure how !

After several tests and failures, I am not almost certain it is a problem with the admins being imported. The problem always occurred after importing the contents (full xml file) of one of the 3 old blogs. Also, while I was missing with the users after the import, I ran into the same problem again.
I am not sure what exactly triggers it, but it is certainly a conflict between users that are imported when I import the contents of the old blog, and the super admin.

I hope this would help to further isolate the reason.

EDIT:

Okay I went to wp_usermeta in the DB and here is all the data of the super admin.. please tell me if you see something wrong

umeta_id		user_id		   meta_key		meta_value
	1                 	1	      first_name
	2                 	1	      last_name
	3                 	1	      nickname	admin
	4                 	1	      description
	5                 	1	      rich_editing	true
	6                 	1	      comment_shortcuts	false
	7                 	1	      admin_color	fresh
	8                 	1	      use_ssl	0
	9                 	1	      show_admin_bar_front	true
	10                 	1	      wp_capabilities	a:1:{s:13:"administrator";s:1:"1";}
	11                 	1	      wp_user_level	10
	12                 	1	      dismissed_wp_pointers	wp330_toolbar,wp330_media_uploader,wp330_saving_wi...
	13                 	1	      show_welcome_panel	1
	14                 	1	      wp_user-settings	editor=html&m6=o&mfold=o&hidetb=1&align=right
	15                 	1	      wp_user-settings-time	1330440521
	16                 	1	      wp_dashboard_quick_press_last_post_id	3
	17                 	1	      source_domain	xxx
	18                 	1	      primary_blog	1
	19                 	1	      wp_2_capabilities	a:1:{s:13:"administrator";s:1:"1";}
	20                 	1	      wp_2_user_level	10
	21                 	1	      wp_3_capabilities	a:1:{s:13:"administrator";s:1:"1";}
	22                 	1	      wp_3_user_level	10
	23                 	1	      wp_2_dashboard_quick_press_last_post_id	3
	24                 	1	      wp_3_dashboard_quick_press_last_post_id	3
	25                 	1	      wp_4_capabilities	a:1:{s:13:"administrator";s:1:"1";}
	26                 	1	      wp_4_user_level	10
	27                 	1	      wp_4_dashboard_quick_press_last_post_id	3

I have just imported the wp_users and wp_usermeta tables from a previous backup, but that did not fix anything. What elsa can I try to import that may fix it without having to uninstall the whole network and start again?? am desperate, and I am now more sure that it is a WP rather than server issue.
Is it not possible to call for one of WP developers to look into it ?

I’m sure we could, if we had something pase ‘iceq is doing something weird…’

Nothing looks wrong. I’ve imported sites just like that a hundred times, so have many others. You’re the only one seeing a weird thing.

I am not sure what exactly triggers it, but it is certainly a conflict between users that are imported when I import the contents of the old blog, and the super admin.

When you’re doing this, are you creating the users as new and, if so, are any of THEM named ‘administrator’?

When I import the contents I choose to import the users too (please dont suggest that I re-create the users manually), and NONE of the users in the 3 original blogs have a “admin” or “administrator” as a username / login name.

Also, so is there nothing else I can try to fix the problem after it occurred rather than reversing everything ?

Oh no no. I wouldn’t say to NOT import the users ?? I’m just trying to narrow it down.

Do any of the users have the same EMAIL address? That is do they have the email of someone already on your extant network.

Yes.
Blog 2 (which is one of the 3 blogs I imported) has a user that is a contributer, who has the same email as that of the Super Network admin.

I am almost certain that the problem appeared everytime I imported the contents of that blog 2 .

I will assume that you want me to delete that user and try importing, which I can do. But I am currently with the problem trying to fix it. Can I ?

Thank you ??

Blog 2 (which is one of the 3 blogs I imported) has a user that is a contributer, who has the same email as that of the Super Network admin.

That’s very likely the source of the problem.

But you assume wrong.

When you import, it gives you the option to ‘associate posts’ with a user, right? Like it’ll list all the ‘new’ authors and the old ones? You should be able to match up that one user with your super-admin user.

Do THAT.

Thank you. But this proves that what I assumed is right ??
Because I am not stuck with the problem again (getting 500 error), which I was able to fix in the bast by reversing evertyhing.
So can’t I just fix it somehow?

See? With all your posting it’s really hard to figure out WHERE you are ??

You reversed everything? So where are we right now? SUMMARY, no length details just yet.