VERSIONS
Zope Version: (Zope 2.9.6-final, python 2.4.3, linux2)
Python Version: 2.4.3 (#1, Nov 22 2006, 14:17:04) [GCC 3.3.6 (Gentoo 3.3.6, ssp-3.3.6-1.0, pie-8.7.8)]
System Platform: linux2
Plone: 2.5.2
qPloneGoogleMaps: 0.2.0

ORIGINAL PROBLEM
The installation of qPloneGoogleMaps ran for 8hrs, due to the catalog refresh. At the end of the process we got this error:
Traceback:

Traceback (innermost last):
  Module ZPublisher.Publish, line 121, in publish
  Module Zope2.App.startup, line 240, in commit
  Module transaction._manager, line 96, in commit
  Module transaction._transaction, line 370, in commit
  Module transaction._transaction, line 250, in _prior_operation_failed
TransactionFailedError: An operation previously failed, with traceback:

  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZServer/PubCore/ZServerPublisher.py", line 23, in __init__
    response=response)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 395, in publish_module
    environ, debug, request, response)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 196, in publish_module_standard
    response = publish(request, module_name, after_list, debug=debug)
  File "/mysite.com/plone2.5/Plone-2.5.2-1/PlacelessTranslationService/PatchStringIO.py", line 34, in new_publish
    x = Publish.old_publish(request, module_name, after_list, debug)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 165, in publish
    return publish(newrequest, module_name, after_list, debug)
  File "/mysite.com/plone2.5/Plone-2.5.2-1/PlacelessTranslationService/PatchStringIO.py", line 34, in new_publish
    x = Publish.old_publish(request, module_name, after_list, debug)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 165, in publish
    return publish(newrequest, module_name, after_list, debug)
  File "/mysite.com/plone2.5/Plone-2.5.2-1/PlacelessTranslationService/PatchStringIO.py", line 34, in new_publish
    x = Publish.old_publish(request, module_name, after_list, debug)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 115, in publish
    request, bind=1)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/mapply.py", line 88, in mapply
    if debug is not None: return debug(object,args,context)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZPublisher/Publish.py", line 41, in call_object
    result=apply(object,args) # Type s<cr> to step into published object.
  File "/mysite.com/plone2.5/Plone-2.5.2-1/CMFQuickInstallerTool/QuickInstallerTool.py", line 454, in installProducts
    reinstall=reinstall)
  File "/mysite.com/plone2.5/Plone-2.5.2-1/CMFQuickInstallerTool/QuickInstallerTool.py", line 326, in installProduct
    transaction.commit(1)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/transaction/_manager.py", line 96, in commit
    return self.get().commit(sub, deprecation_wng=False)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/transaction/_transaction.py", line 366, in commit
    self._subtransaction_savepoint = self.savepoint(optimistic=True)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/transaction/_transaction.py", line 295, in savepoint
    self._saveCommitishError() # reraises!
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/transaction/_transaction.py", line 292, in savepoint
    savepoint = Savepoint(self, optimistic, *self._resources)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/transaction/_transaction.py", line 675, in __init__
    savepoint = savepoint()
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py", line 1012, in savepoint
    self._commit(None)
  File "/usr/local/zope/2.9.6/lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py", line 518, in _commit
    raise ConflictError(object=obj)
ConflictError: database conflict error (oid 0x80, class Products.CMFPlone.PropertiesTool.SimpleItemWithProperties)

WORKAROUND

we commented out line 218 of install.py:
    # getToolByName(self, 'portal_catalog').refreshCatalog()

Then we Cleared and Rebuilt the catalog
No errors.

NEW PROBLEM

Files customized (resident in the custom folder) do not refresh.
Not even a packing of the database, cache flush, server restart.

My guess is there is something wrong with the catalog. But what, and how to fix it?
Ideas welcome.

i should have mentioned, before we did a Clear and Refresh, we redid the install (with the commented line). and it worked.

and when i say:

'Not even a packing of the database, cache flush, server restart.

what i mean is:

Not even a packing of the database, cache flush, server restart makes a difference to the problem- the (qPloneGoogleMap) files in the custom folder do not load. Only the original skin files load, unchanged.