Hi, in some unknown reasons I can't update to the 1.4.4.1b, neither. Have to revert to 1.4.4 back again.

PHP: 5.3.21
MySQL: 5.5.28

Google Chrome shows me the following error (the same was aalso with initial 1.4.4.1 and 1.4.4.1a) :

Server error
The website encountered an error while retrieving http://my.site.xx/zp-core/setup/index.php?autorun=gallery. It may be down for maintenance or configured incorrectly.
Here are some suggestions:
Reload this webpage later.

HTTP Error 500 (Internal Server Error): An unexpected condition was encountered while the server was attempting to fulfill the request.

Please examine your error logs and post the relevant error messages. Also please post a link to a PHP ini display of your site configuration.

link to a PHP ini display of your site configuration

That means?

well, enabled displaying erross.
When updated and pointed to my zp site:

Fatal error: Cannot redeclare db_connect() (previously declared in /..../zp-core/functions-db-MySQLi.php:23) in /.../zp-core/functions-db-MySQL.php on line 51

I wished to see the PHPini output to know what database software modules were installed in PHP.

I am guessing that the database software that is set in the configuration file is not supported by your PHP installation. But that is just a guess.

Also a guess, but if you edit the zenphoto.cfg file and set the database software item to 'MySQL' things will probably work. But that is only if the MySQL module is installed.

Fixed it just for myself this way:

in setup/index.php line 190 where is

$preferences = array('mysqli'=>1,'pdo_mysql'=>2,'mysql'=>3);

I switched the 1st and 3rd, so this line became

$preferences = array('mysql'=>1,'pdo_mysql'=>2,'mysqli'=>3);

EDIT: just after posting this I saw your reply. But I hope my post about occasional success is useful as well

MySQL Support enabled
Active Persistent Links 2
Active Links 2
Client API version 5.5.28
MYSQL_MODULE_TYPE external
MYSQL_SOCKET /tmp/mysql.sock
MYSQL_INCLUDE -I/usr/local/mysql/include
MYSQL_LIBS -L/usr/local/mysql/lib -lmysqlclient

Directive Local Value Master Value
mysql.allow_local_infile On On
mysql.allow_persistent On On
mysql.connect_timeout 60 60
mysql.default_host no value no value
mysql.default_password no value no value
mysql.default_port no value no value
mysql.default_socket /tmp/mysql.sock /tmp/mysql.sock
mysql.default_user no value no value
mysql.max_links Unlimited Unlimited
mysql.max_persistent Unlimited Unlimited
mysql.trace_mode Off Off

mysqli

MysqlI Support enabled
Client API library version 5.5.28
Active Persistent Links 0
Inactive Persistent Links 0
Active Links 0
Client API header version 5.5.28
MYSQLI_SOCKET /tmp/mysql.sock

Directive Local Value Master Value
mysqli.allow_local_infile On On
mysqli.allow_persistent On On
mysqli.default_host no value no value
mysqli.default_port 3306 3306
mysqli.default_pw no value no value
mysqli.default_socket no value no value
mysqli.default_user no value no value
mysqli.max_links Unlimited Unlimited
mysqli.max_persistent Unlimited Unlimited
mysqli.reconnect Off Off

PDO

PDO support enabled
PDO drivers mysql, sqlite, sqlite2

pdo_mysql

PDO Driver for MySQL enabled
Client API version 5.5.28

Directive Local Value Master Value
pdo_mysql.default_socket /tmp/mysql.sock /tmp/mysql.sock

pdo_sqlite

PDO Driver for SQLite 3.x enabled
SQLite Library 3.7.7.1

Not at all sure what happened here. You seem to have MySQLi enabled so that should have been the preferred database. (The original order of the preferences list.)

But could MySQLi module be absent while MySQL module is present?
I just see MYSQL_MODULE_TYPE but not MYSQLI_MODULE_TYPE

What I was reading was:
`
mysqli

MysqlI Support enabled
Client API library version 5.5.28
Active Persistent Links 0
Inactive Persistent Links 0
Active Links 0
Client API header version 5.5.28
MYSQLI_SOCKET /tmp/mysql.sock
`
So I would presume that the module is really there. But maybe there is some issue with it. Or maybe some other thing happened.

It is certainly possible to have both modules present. The recommendation though, is to use MySQLi over MySQL when the former is present. The MySQL module will be eventually removed from PHP.