i'm running version 2.3.0 Using KDE 4.4.2 and I'm unable to populate my local collection. The proper folders are checked under settings-->configure and I've tried rescanning the collection a couple of times (and restarting). Nothing happens. The files are all viewable via the amarok file browser and are of many formats (mp3, ogg, wav, etc). None of them will play when selected through the file browser. What gives?

That's a *really* old version. You should update to a more recent version (current is 2.5.0). You might try changing your Phonon backend if alternatives are available, but there's not really much we can do otherwise for something so old.