I totally agree, the best thing to do is Download from scanner (via the Scanner tab). If it doesn't work, goto Configuration,Serial port, and just keep changing ports until it works. Mine happens to be COM2 with "enable Readback" enabled.
Then, once you save it, as mentioned, the software mimics what you already have set on the scanner, and you can mess around and then Upload.
There really aren't any "new features" on the first page. The ENABLED SCAN BANKS threw me at first, but it's simply the banks you want to monitor. You could check all the boxes, and then turn them off one at a time while scanning if you desired. You'll get it in no time.