Removing the folders shouldn't have made a difference unless there were some type of permission issue...but I am glad you got it working!
Nope. The only thing that you would have to take into account is if the next update is not pre-compiled for 8.1. Other than that...nothing to worry about!
I payed a dearly for removing the SF database. Seems all my project BO Mapper config data got wiped.
Since I do not know what happened in the first place, I guess I am open to another knee capping when I attempt to install the next version?
Michael