Lots of problems when migrated from 1.8.1.0 to 1.9.2.2 - one is compare sidebar

Question

<default>
    <!-- Mage_Catalog -->
    <reference name="top.menu">
        <block type="catalog/navigation" name="catalog.topnav" template="catalog/navigation/top.phtml"/>
    </reference>
    <reference name="left">
        <block type="catalog/product_compare_sidebar" before="cart_sidebar" name="catalog.compare.sidebar" template="catalog/product/compare/sidebar.phtml"/>
    </reference>
    <reference name="footer_links">
        <action method="addLink" translate="label title" module="catalog" ifconfig="catalog/seo/site_map">
            <label>Site Map</label>
            <url helper="catalog/map/getCategoryUrl" />
            <title>Site Map</title>
        </action>
    </reference>
    <block type="catalog/product_price_template" name="catalog_product_price_template" />
</default>

This is a custom theme code which was working with magento 1.8.1.0 but when I upgraded the magento version to 1.9.2.2 it stopped working.
Checked everything if removal of this block is called or anything else that would hamper the rendering but was unable to find any such issue.
Earlier: http://awesomescreenshot.com/0e35kbq2b1
Now: http://awesomescreenshot.com/0795kbq5c3
Apart from these a lot hell of other things also stopped working.
But I tried to fix few of them but I think still there may be many prevailing, if you know the drastic effects of this upgrade from 1.8.1.0 to 1.9.2.2 please do let me know about other probs that may arise.

Answer 1

May be any layout file is removing the this block using remove <remove name="catalog.compare.sidebar" />

So,just Change the layout block alias name from layout catalog.compare.sidebar to something.

like:

     <block type="catalog/product_compare_sidebar" before="cart_sidebar" 
name="catalog.compare.test" template="catalog/product/compare/sidebar.phtml"/>

here i have change it to catalog.compare.test.

Also see some commenting issue at layout file

remove this code

<!--block type="core/template" name="left.permanent.callout" template="callouts/left_col.phtml">
        <action method="setImgSrc"><src>images/media/left_col_callout.jpg</src></action>
        <action method="setImgAlt" translate="alt" module="catalog"><alt>Our customer service is available 24/7. Call us at (555) 555-0123.</alt></action>
        <action method="setLinkUrl"><url>checkout/cart</url></action>
    </block-->

or do proper commenting

 <!-- <block type="core/template" name="left.permanent.callout" template="callouts/left_col.phtml">
        <action method="setImgSrc"><src>images/media/left_col_callout.jpg</src></action>
        <action method="setImgAlt" translate="alt" module="catalog"><alt>Our customer service is available 24/7. Call us at (555) 555-0123.</alt></action>
        <action method="setLinkUrl"><url>checkout/cart</url></action>
    </block>-->

Block tag is start & end properly.

You Can check the code adding at catalog.xml

<default>
<!-- Mage_Catalog -->
<reference name="left">
    <block type="catalog/product_compare_sidebar" before="cart_sidebar" name="catalog.compare.test" template="catalog/product/compare/sidebar.phtml"/>
</reference>
</default>