Yes here's a link to the mod I installed..
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=236480
Disabling hooks would make other plugins that I use not work so I can't do that. I didn't make any manual template edits. It's just an xml file. I clicked import, it imported, and then it stretched the forum out a bit too much. Made everything look ugly. So I turned it off before uninstalling. When I turned it off, the forum was still funky looking. So I think it affected something of the styles in the database. And that never recovered. So I think backing up from an old mysql database would do the trick.
--------------- Added [DATE]1334701914[/DATE] at [TIME]1334701914[/TIME] ---------------
I disabled hooks in my admin cp. No dice! And when I installed the mod, I didn't have to manually edit any templates or upload anything to my "forums" folder. But I saw the "correct" 3.8 version of the mod, that I installed later on listed in my database. I assume when I used the 4.0 version/plugin accidentally? It too went into the database, and must've gummed something up beyond repair. So uninstalling didn't help. Hence the odd angle my forum has now. So is it safe to assume this problem is database related then?