Hmm. My auto update only went to 23.5. I *think* I tried 23.8 as well, but I've gone back and forth so many times by now, I can't recall for sure. So, I will have to try it again and see.
In any case, I commented out starting at the very beginning, just like you mentioned in your post, and got the results I described.
I'll be back after I look for 23.8.