Ok...this is getting silly. LOL If I define the forum URL as
www.sitename.com/forum, instead of member.php, for instance, being
www.sitename.com/index.php/member.php
it is instead
www.sitename.com/index.php/forum/member.php
LOL - it has to be something external to vBulletin, such as what you suggested above. I'll look into that aspect of it for now. Thanks for the assistance, and for not lynching the n00b quite yet.