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I did hook a TV directly to the line going into the basement with no preamp attached. I got most of the stations very well, but not everything I know I could and should get.
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If you don't see everything you know you should, stop... figure out why, fix it, then move on to testing more of the system. Any trouble shooting done after this point is futile and confusing unless you resolve the problems already present. Did you fine tune the location and aim of the antenna? How many pieces of cable were between the antenna and TV? How many feet of cable was between the antenna and TV? Now would be a good time to try a new coax, directly from the antenna to the test TV. It would also help us a great deal to know what signal you thought you should get, but did not. Did you do a new scan for channels? Call sign and real channel number is the ideal way to identify the signal.
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I would like to know is there any way to actually test this preamp to be certain whether it is working properly or not?
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Yes, take the antenna, preamp and TV to a location with weak signals and try it there. The signal power shown on your TVFR strongly argues against the use of any preamp, especially one prone to overloading. The signals in the air at your location are too powerful to test that type preamp with.
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As soon as I hooked the preamp and plugged in the injector through the same connection I got nothing at all...
...Really I am trying to figure out if this preamp is a defective unit. If that's the case, I can at least start by returning it. Should I really be losing ALL signals when the injector is plugged in even with running it through the splitter?
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It does not matter whether it's defective or overloading... it's not needed or even useful. It's adding to your problems. Get your money back, get rid of it. It's stopping you from focusing on obtaining a clean signal from the antenna at the end of a reasonable length of coax.
With the preamp and power injector totally removed from the system, it sounds like there are still two or more pieces of coax between the antenna and the basement distribution point where you split. Is that because there are splices or because there are additional splitters or other accessories? I'm not as convinced as you are that the cables and connectors are free of trouble. Every connection is a point that can go open due to corrosion, wear due to repeated assembly/disassembly, water intrusion, etc.