New registrations disabled

This is the first time I’ve used WordPress. I just installed WordPress 3.2.1 and chose to have Multisite as I need to have different users contributing to password protected material (all on one domain). After some reading, I thought Multisite was the right decision. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

The first thing I tried to do was create a password protected page where the user has to login to see it. I thought I would create a ‘subscriber’ user to test this as my installation user’s role is ‘Administrator’.

I found the http://domain.com/wp-signup.php URL but the message reads “registration has been disabled”. After some reading online I found that I could enable new registrations in ‘Settings -> General’. When I go to that page, there is nothing about registration; just timezone, date format, site language etc.

So then I read that I need to be Super Admin but I can’t be Super Admin until I create another site. I read that I can’t add another site until I create or enable a network. I can’t enable a network until I use the Network Admin option in the top right ‘Howdy’ pull-down menu. But I can’t do this because Network Admin doesn’t appear in my pull-down menu.

My head is spinning now after going around in circles. I just want new users (as in non-Wordpress users) to be able to register to contribute and write blogs and so forth on my site. Please help me go in the right direction. Thank you!!