Gizmo,

Thanks for your reply.

RE: Side Bars
My permissions for the cache folder were 755. I've changed them to 777. Do you think that was the problem, or is the first 7 the most important one?

RE: Changes/Blank Config:
At this point, I can only change my config file manually via text editor. Any changes through the control panel wipe the config file. I spent a while searching the forum for any posts by Rick that address this problem. All I found were two threads where the same problem went unanswered. Sadly, one of these was mine because I had this problem a few years ago... (it magically went away)

I can continue to edit my config file manually, however, I need to reinstate my side bars (shout box, search, top posters, custom island 1, etc...)
I don't know the format to add islands into the array.
Could somebody paste in that section of a working config file?

Thanks!