Mrs. Muddled

Those things are more likely to enter the computer via my husband's emails. I gather none of my security systems would protect against "whatever" may be lurking in those documents. Do you download everything that Microsoft alerts on ... other than the automatic updates?

I have a concern about some of the Microsoft updates ... not the ones that I get downloaded automatically - the other ones that refer to various security leaks in MS products when you are using Windows XP. My machine has all of the MS hot fixes. Besides my daily virus checks, I run a Trend Micro every so often. It comes up with suggestions for Microsoft frailties where a hacker could take over my templates or my Excel program etc., etc., and so forth. Well, when I read all the instructions that are attached to these various downloads ... it just confuses the heck out of me! Do this! Don't do this until you've done this ... and if you've done this, well you should have done that first ... and on and on go the instructions, to the point that I'm totally confused by the time I've finished trying to absorb them ... so I don't download any of them. When are my programs actually vulnerable to a hacker? I rarely even use most of my Microsoft programs like Excel and Office. If I could dump all of their programs and install something simple I would. What alternative word processing programs could I use that would still open my MS docs without altering them? I tried Office Org for awhile and I didn't like it.

Yes. I'll be typing away and all of a sudden up comes the apology. As we speak I can't recall whether I would be typing a doc or entering info on a forum ... but it is only on IE.

Oh, that never occured to me. I will contact them and get it sorted out. Is that also the reason I am getting the shut down when I'm on the net?

I leave my computer on all the time. I turn off the screen. I'm getting notifications from Microsoft when I turn on my screen: I've also taken a screen shot of further info from Microsoft: I use Firefox because Internet Explorer constantly shuts me down when I'm working on a screen. No idea why. I use Windows XP. I have 512 MB of memory ... one slot still empty. Is it an issue with lack of memory?

Bruce - you are one smart cookie! Thanks.

As of yesterday Firefox is giving me the pop up asking for my master password every time I go to Firefox. I find it very irritating. I've tried changing the settings. It wont let me. It just keeps asking for the old master password if I want to change it.....which I don't because I've never had one! I've run the question through Google. I have not found the answer. If I can't shut this thing off I will dump Firefox and go back to IE and put up with the constant crashes. Boy - that'll show 'em! By the way ... I just read the postings on passwords and I want to add that I've used Roboform for quite a long time now and I think its great. Very efficient. Again, I just have to remember one master password and forget about the rest. It's just a simple click and I'm logged into whatever site I'm interested in.

Ya ... it's difficult when you aren't right here, looking at the screen. There is so much I don't comprehend that I think I'll give it a break and go to the gym and work out for a couple of hours. That's gotta be better for me than trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks a bunch guys!

Thomas, Am I to do this by going to Presentation - Theme Editor? It says at the bottom of the pages of code that "if they were writeable they could be edited." I assumed that meant I couldn't edit them. When you say put in the URL's I'm not sure what you mean. For example HOME ... what would the URL be for that ... or for LINK ... or ABOUT? I don't get that at all. Isn't HOME www.mrsmuddled.com? I'm confused. Do you still have the access to the test pages?

I went to the editor on my Google blog - where I first wrote my story and uploaded a picture or animation for the top. I selected everything on that page of code and copied it. I then opened a page in the new WP template and pasted that code in. Everything worked in WP until it hit a link or any special formatting like bold etc.

Something I've noticed. When I copy and paste HTML from my Google Blog into this new Wordpress template ... things like my photos and my links appear as code rather than links. How come? What to do to correct this?

Going back to your first response. When I click on HOME ABOUT and LINKS I get nowhere. HOW do I start a page for them? I have been able to start pages that were not connected to those tabs ... but I don't know how to get into the codes.

I'm back and I'm prepared to grovel for assistance. This is what I want to do. Can you give me really simple answers that I can follow? Don't even think about explaining "how" it works - it will just confuse the heck out of me. There are too many instructions in WordPress and they are waaaaay above my level of expertise. The more I read the more confused I get. I don't want to do anything fancy. I just want really basic stuff on these webpages - a few tabs and a few pages and hopefully I can figure out the rest. 1. How do I change and work with the three tabs at the top of the body of my template SpringFlower 1.0 by Romow.com? 2. How do I get rid of the things on the left column that I don't want, like catagories and blogroll and archives? 3. How do I change the words "Spring Blog" that appear in the picture at the top of the template to words that I want - but not lose the fancy font or colours? 4. How do I put things in the order I want them to appear.

I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ok ... I'll send pm

Thanks for your helpful tips - but I think I'm going to have to call it quits. I can get as far as opening the welcome to WordPress presentation page you describe, and I can open the two default themes that appear there, but that's as far as I can get. I have actually made a post and tried the default theme AND IT WORKS! I still don't understand how to get my theme of choice into the presentation section.

Hi Bruce! I'm so sorry for being such a dolt ... but ... I have the file in cpanel. I know how to unzip it in cpanel. My problem is once I get it open ... I don't know what to do next. I need specific instructions as to HOW to get it into Word press and the wp-content/themes folder. I realize once I figure it out I will be embarrassed ... but so far I can't figure it out. I've even downloaded the FTP program Don suggested ... and I don't even know what the heck to do with that! I hope if I get reincarnated I come back smart instead of gorgeous.

Maybe I'm not articulating what I want to do very clearly. How do I get the zip file with the new template INTO wp-content/themes? I've been able to get it to my desktop and also to my cpanel. It's now opened in cpanel and made a folder at the top left. I don't know what to do with it now. I"ve tried following Don's and Thomas's directions ... but I'm not catching on.

Yes. I did install Wordpress - via Fantastico. I also tried to download the new theme in Wordpress but was not sure what to do with it once I got to wp-content/themes. I got words like "fatal" when I tried opening things on the page ... that was rather off-putting. I am now stuck. I have printed out the instructions Wordpress gives for adding new themes in cpanel. I am unable to follow them. I don't see anything like what they are describing in "my" cpanel. Perhaps I am misunderstanding what they are describing? I've got that zip file with the new theme sitting at the bottom of the list in my cpanel file manager. I accidentally left clicked on it and now it's up in the top right corner giving me several options as to what to do with it.

I downloaded the theme zip file to my desktop. I then uploaded it to my cpanel. It is sitting at the bottom of the list. Do I just double click on it to extract it ... or do I have to move it somewhere before I do that?

I'm going to do it through cpanel file manager. I'm there now and I'm not sure what to do where.

So, in Base Config where it says Admin e-mail (your email address) it automatically entered my name@mrsmuddled.com. Do I leave that there?

I have used totally new stuff for the blanks next to Admin access data. Re the E-mail account config ... I will leave the first two blanks empty. What about the entries beside POP/SMTP server and POP/SMTP server port? I will not be doing any posting by email either.

Now go down to Email account config - I'm assuming I use the password I use in cpanel? "This is a new feature for me, I havent seen it in an wordpress installation before but Iwould assume it wants access to an email account since you can post in your blog using email." Fantastico automatically entered my cpanel account username@mrsmuddled.com in this space. So, I have entered my cpanel password below it. Somehow that seems odd - because I've never used cpanel for email. I'll need a bit more confirmation on that part before I install.