Hmmmmmmmm, this is strange. AOL typically stores all of your buddies on their server regardless of whether or not you saved the actual file of your buddies or not. Or at least, this is the case for more updated versions (for instance, this is why you can sign on to your account on someone else's AIM and get your list).
My advice to you is: sign on using someone else's computer with an updated version of AIM. See if it gives you your buddy list. If it DOES, go to File... Save or some such crap and Save your buddy list to a file. Then send it back to your home PC and load it up on your program.
If that doesn't work, then I guess you'll have to do it the manual way. But your buddy list SHOULD be on the server somewhere. I use Trillian at work and it finds my buddies no problem.
