[2023] Could really use some help with this new update

I'm sorry for creating yet another thread about this update, but I'm really at a loss here.

I've been playing this game for about 3-4 years primarily in VR (Horizons only, combat elite) and I have no idea what's going on with this update. Usually the Elite launcher itself will indicate there's an update you have to apply, but this time there's a convoluted message about changing the priority in Steam and "rebooting" (assuming that means log out and log back in, which I did), but nothing happens. I've also seen tons of confusing jargon referencing "legacy vs live" and Odyssey users, but as I said I'm on Horizons 4.0 and everything about how to apply the upgrade if you're an Horizons only user is unclear at this point.

Fortunately I can still run the game normally in VR, but I still get the "you need to apply an update" message from the launcher, and there's no update to apply...I'm wondering how long this will last. I'm also noticing some other random bugs and glitches in the game that weren't there before...the biggest is that the default hideous orange UI is back. I was a happy EDHM user but it doesn't seem to work any longer, most likely due to Frontier futzing around with the default directories or something.

I checked the Frontier forum link referenced in this post, no help there. I'm a reasonably smart guy, all I need is a couple of clues on how I can update the game as a Horizons only user. One idea I had is to uninstall the game in Windows and then have Steam run an integrity scan to restore the folders and executables, but I'm very reluctant to do this...I see other posts where people have run into issues.
These are mostly with the Steam and Frontier accounts not being linked, but who knows...I might never get it back.

I can't risk not having access to the game, I'm at a critical juncture (trying to rank up to get the Fed Vette). Does anyone have a few simple steps or clues on how to reliably apply the upgrade for a Horizons only VR use? Also, any clues on how to update the UI colors now that EDHM no longer seems to work would be appreciated...if there's a paid app, I'm willing to pony up the dough! Thanks all!