I have been trying to upgrade from Domino 8.5.1 FP5 to 8.5.2 and I can install the new 5.2 fine. After I reboot the server, and make sure the lotus services have started, nothing works, no email, no webmail, nothing.
I attempt to launch the client and domino admin and they cannot see my notes server anymore.
Is there a specific way I need to install 8.5.2? I have checked where my data sits and its all under the normal defaults that 8.5.2 suggests when installing…help!
Subject: Did you start the server manually once ?
Justin,
Did you start the server manually once ?
Because there is always the famous question to know if you want to upgrade the names.nsf to the latest design and as long as you don’t answer to this question by typing Y or N into the console, the server sits there and wait…
I was stucked with one machine because of this, because I forgot the “bullet proof” method to upgrade a server :
stop the domino service
disable the domino service
launch the upgrade
reboot the whole server
start the server manually and answer the question regarding the NAB design upgrade
wait until the server is ready
stop the server using quit command in the console
set the domino service to automatic
start the domino service
When I upgraded one server, I forgot to disable the service and had to reboot the server because domino said so when I tried to start the server manually and after the reboot, I wasn’t able to login into the windows server because it seems Windows was waiting for the domino server before showing the login prompt, but the domino server was waiting for this famous answer… 
Anyway, try to start it manually and maybe it will help ! 
Renaud