WP 2.3.1 Upgrade Problem

Post#2: We have upgraded to WP 2.3.1 and Exec-PHP 2.0 to 4.2. All spaces in < ? and ? > were removed by the Search and Replace plugin and the Blog appears to function normally. However, when creating new pages, the normal code <?php *****;?> automatically changes to < ?php *****;?> when the page is saved or published. The added space in < ? prevents the page from functioning normally and the page returns < ?php ****;?> instead of the text. Running Search and Replace again resolves the problem, but it is an (surely unintended) extra step. Please advise.