No dice.... anyone else find a fix for this problem?
UPDATE: Got it going by digging through this thread....
https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/showthread.php?t=93354
Essentially I wiped it (except the php edits) and reinstalled via the script. Removed all the "vbchatxx" columns in the user table, killed a couple "vbchatxxx" tables, and posted the install_vbchat.php and vbchat.xml files back to the admincp directory. Then I ran the install routine again and voila! fixed.