Re-Installation Old Version

[Feddy]

Until a month ago, I had Sage working like a dream. Then the motherboard crashed so I just rebuilt with a new motherboard and hard-drive. Luckily, a few months earlier I bought an external hard-drive to back up my system.

After loading Windows XP and a few other programs on the new computer, I loaded software accompanying my Hauppauge WinTV PVR 350. Checked that it worked and then attached my MyBlaster USB and watched it load a driver from the accompanying CD so in the Device Manager, it now shows as Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm port (com3). Without testing that it worked in the new installation with my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 3200 digital box, I began my Sage installation.

My original Sage version was Sage 4.1. It seemed to install successfully together with an early Java version. However, when I got to the Setup Video Sources, I moved through the screens as follows:

1. Input on the Hauppauge Capture Device, I answered TV Tuner Channel 3; 2. Tuning Option for Channel 3, I answered Use External Cable Receiver to Tune Channel,
3. Select a Tuning Plugin, I was given 3 options (from bottom up, they were USB-UIRT Transceiver, Actisys IR200L, and DirectTV Serial Control). Electing either of the first 2 (the Actisys with Com3) came back with a message "Failed Setting the infrared Transmitter Port ...". Only the DirectTV Serial Control allowed me to proceed further and identify my Cable provider to complete the installation.

Because I couldn't get the IR Blaster to work with this installation, I tried merely replacing the entire SageTV directory with the version that I had on backup from January - version 5.0.4.92 and showing Java 1.4.2_06. I nervously rebooted the computer and smiled as the pasted directory seemed to load without a hitch and gave me a UI that looked like what I had before my last system died. But, still no success with the Blaster. As well, the TV Guide now only goes up to channel 70. My cable service carries up to 900 or more channels.

All of this is to ask 2 questions:

(1) Since it looks kinda like things worked with merely pasting the Sage 5 directory over top of the Sage 4.1 installation, am I a catastrophe waiting to happen?

(2) Most important to using this at all -- I desperately need help getting my MyBlaster to work with my Scientific Atlanta digital box.

Do I need to begin all over again -- including loading Windows?

Hope there's help out there.