mdg,
Code Freeze does not make changes to your site. To deactivate it, just use the link in your plugin list. If that doesn’t work, manually delete the plugin folder using FTP or some other file browser. From the FAQ:
How do I return my site and dashboard to normal?
Just deactivate or delete the plugin. There are no changes made to the site or database nor any settings to worry about.
I was able to reproduce the problem you encountered and it is addressed in the most recent update. However, if this ever reoccurs you just need to delete the plugin manually to remove all effects.
So I can’t deactivate code freeze because it is needing an update but I can’t update it because code freeze is activated – any insights on how I can fix this?
I’ve just run into this issue with the latest version as well—this is not fixed.