I find Maya to sometimes be very finicky about importing files. Unless you had a file that you could once import and now cannot I would hold off on re-installing.
What I would suggest is first see if you can import the file into softimage (since it is bundled with maya now) and then if it imports into SI then use the new file sharing ability to open it up in maya.
It is funny alias created the obj format and they also created Maya, yet Maya is the most finicky about reading obj files. Many times I can opena obj in a half dozen application but Maya will puke on the file.
"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants." Sir Isaac Newton, 1675