since installing the 1.01 patch when I search for a server by name my entire list goes blank, and I can never get it to renew/update. I have to restart BF2 to get the list back.
Yeah I have. I had "Show Same Version Only" checked under the internet filters. When I unchecked it, I was able to see all of the servers (and the ones without the patch showed up red). Try unchecking that, then update your server list and see if it makes any difference.