to/from MaxMsp not working

I recently reformatted my G5 and reinstalled my copy of max/msp.

I’ve been havin a problem getting the "to MaxMsp" and "from MaxMsp" internal midi patches to work.

I’ve used the midi tester and nothing… i can recieve external midi data from my synth through the midi port from my soundcard…but still nothing from the ‘to/from’ ports. they are both checked on in the midi setup. I’ve also tried a wipe and reinstall of the max/msp, and again…nothing. i must be missing something simple. can someone please help me!