RE: Side Bars:
I'd definitely check the permissions on the cache directories (777) and of the files in them (666), then clear the cache.

RE: Changes/Blank Config:
There is an old bug report somewhere where Rick mentions a fix that ones host needs to make; what happens when the config file is written is that every variable is read in before it's written, then written back out, and some hosts only allow X amount of variables to be present in a post/get. You'd have to use the search to find it though, I'm sure it's linked to in several threads that pop up.

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