Ok, here's a screen shot after I reverted back to the KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED plugin & the steps I took:
1. Opened Calibre & disabled KOBOTOUCH plugin.
2. Closed & quit Calibre.
3. Restarted Calibre.
4. Enabled KOBOTOUCHEXTENDED plugin.
5. Closed & quit Calibre.
6. Restarted Calibre.
7. Connected Kobo Aura to PC.
8. Deleted test books from Aura.
9. Ejected Kobo from Calibre & disconnected USB cable from PC.
10. Reconnected Aura to PC.
11. Sideloaded test books back to Aura.
12. Ejected Kobo from Calibre & disconnected USB cable from PC.
13. Kobo Aura processes content.
14. I did a paperclip reset.
Here's what I got (see picture). Sure wish I knew what the trick was!