<?php
$_REQUEST['ubb'] = "portal";
include("/home/user/public_html/forums/ubbthreads.php");
?>A stripped back file on its own worked. Phew. . .
Previous PHP Version 5.2.16
Re-install Version PHP 5.3.27
apparently there are some changes that could have broken the code in the old page.
Thanks for your help ruben / Gizmo