ok, all is well! I think I know what happened. It amounts to, I think, user error(pretty sure). When I installed Cakewalk by Bandlab, there's a prompt that read, "Let's get started". This is where tell it about your inputs and outputs and select your preferred workspace (Basic, None, Advance). I truly believe that I clicked this off, on the previous first install, and went right into setting up everything via preferences(midi, soundcard, input, mic, blah). I think that's where I screwed up.
Once I selected my workspace at the, "Let's get started" prompt, the start up screen populated with the templates.
Just to recap; Clean installed.. followed directions... all is well.
Thanks everyone for your time spent on this.
Now, can someone help me with moral of the story?