Installing CC Desktop 1.8.0.447 corrupts db and app associations

Question

I attended Max 2014 this week and was excited to return to update the Creative Cloud Desktop application and install all of the app updates. The first way I attempted to do this has created hours of frustration and futile tech support calls. I started by clicking the "cloud" menu icon and Install the 1.8.0.447 build.
After installing the update, the APPS tab in the CC Desktop application presents you with a spinning loading wheel and doesn't show you any of the apps that are currently installed. There are several procedures that Adobe and other forum members have listed for previous builds that take you through suggestions on how to remedy this. Some initial causes like legacy CS5 installs, etc, were not applicable. The first significant move is to navigate to your OOBE folder and remove the opm.db file (as part of these steps App doesn’t open | Progress wheel spins continually). Following this procedure sent me on a path that totally messed up my CC Desktop install.
After following that last step, and restarting the CC Desktop, the APPs panel loads up – with one major exception – all the relationships between the Installed apps and what CC Desktop thinks is installed is gone. Not only does it not properly recognize  what is installed but there is apparently no way to re-associate that within the app!
I've come to generally appreciate the CC Desktop app as a centralized way to update all the programs, it's an improvement from the more antiquated AAM updater, which is still accessible from apps via Help > Updates. But I can remember back in the day where you used to have to download an run installers manually one at a time, so I'll take it.
With that said, this current iteration has crashed and burned and the only solution after two conversations with Adobe tech support is "sorry, you'll just have to uninstall and re-install everything". That's NOT acceptable. Some of these apps have gobs of plugins, presets, settings, etc, and I can easily blow a day getting everything up and running again. As it is, I've wasted 6+ hours trying to get to the next step.
My latest attempt involved using a Time Machine backup and restoring the following files (after shutting down all CC Desktop apps). This is always a crap shoot because I may not be restoring all the folders necessary (though I think I've got it down now), and there are "invisible" files that could be missed. With that, I restored:
/Users/<user folder>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/AAMUpdater/
/Users/<user folder>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/AAMUpdaterInventory/
/Users/<user folder>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE/
/Users/<user folder>/Library/Application Support/Adobe/caps/
(hidden ~/Library)
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/AAMUpdater/
~/Library/Application Support/Adobe/OOBE/
After restoring these files, I restarted, and I can then see that my AAM appears in the top system menu bar indicating that there are 16 updates (this is good!), and the CC Desktop icon, when clicked shows there is an update (the version listed above).
As this is the 3rd time I've done this, I call this my branching point – the last two attempts both were followed by the install of the new CC Desktop app, which gets me exactly into the sequence outlined above. Spinning blank apps screen. Then I delete the opm.db file, and we're stuck.
Just for kicks I opened up the AAM app, and it's listing all the updates for the applications. And I still haven't updated the desktop app. I'm nervous to update the apps outside of the cloud application... but I'm considering doing this. Uninstalling the Creative Cloud Desktop application, reinstalling with the new one and wondering if it will pickup on the applications that are currently installed and the versions I'm running.
At this point I'm waiting to see if I should:
a) uninstall CC desktop, and download the latest installer and try that – would that be any different than just updating it?
b) run the updates for the apps, leave CC Desktop alone and ride out the storm until the next build comes along. Will installing the next version, again, pick up the latest database (after all my updates) and run correctly?
Thoughts are appreciated, thanks!
Thanks
Stephen

Answer 1

**UPDATE**
Called up Adobe Tech support for a 3rd time, and this time got someone who was willing to work with me on this. Since the past two times we've used the "Install Now" option in Creative Cloud Desktop to update the application, which usually leads to failure, we tried to dump the current install and start fresh with the desktop app. Uninstalling the CC Desktop doesn't remove any of the installed programs.
Do try this alternate method we:
Uninstalled Creative Cloud Desktop application
Restarted
Downloaded and installed the latest version of Creative Cloud Desktop at Free Creative Cloud | Download Adobe Creative Cloud free trial
Once it launched it took about 20 seconds to sync up with the applications I currently have installed, but recognized they were there, and indicated there were updates!
Ran all the updates
This is why I seldom take the first "no" as an answer...
I hope that this helps someone else out.
Stephen