I had my share of problems getting search to work after the upgrade. None of the many published solutions worked. I had to set the search service to run under the same domain account as the central admin app pool.
Now I can get onto more customization and a full publish site demo also.

Merry Christmas.
If you live in Wellington and are looking for a modern carol service on Christmas eve, join us at the Salvation Army Johnsonville, 6 or 9 pm.