Started WP in folder, then root, then back…

I had a site that was already up and running, and I decided we needed to have most of it password protected, so I decided to install WP. While installing, I didn’t put it in my root directory, because I didn’t want the site to not work while i built the new site. So, WP was in a folder in my root directory, called WORDPRESS.

After it was done, I wanted to make it accessible to people by just typing in the domain name. I read articles on GoDaddy and on this site, and had a GoDaddy support person’s input. Unfortunately, we got the order wrong. I backed up the database. I backed up the entire site to my computer. I re-uploaded the site to my root directory. I deleted the original WP folder from the root.

Of course, what I should have done is changed the settings in wp-admin first. Then all this stuff probably would have worked. It did not.

Then I read all the stuff about how to fix it if, like me and perhaps another couple of dorks, you did all that without changing the settings in WP first. Based on that article’s advice, I changed the siteurl and home settings on the database to the root directory.

Then the site stopped working in any capacity. I called GoDaddy, and my support person ultimately consulted with the super-support folk, who may or may not have gotten the whole story and advised that I re-upload the original WP folder into the root, and then go into wp-admin and change the settings in there, then start the whole process over, but in the right order.

I uploaded, and I can’t get into wp-admin at all. Can’t get to anything in the site except for a text version of the home page. I went into the database, and changed the siteurl and home settings back to the original domain.net/wordpress directory. Still not able to get to wp.admin.

Any ideas? I mean, good ideas?? Clearly, I’ve run through a lot of ideas, so I’m no longer looking for quantity so much as quality. 🙂

I’m perfectly willing to trash the whole dang thing and start over, but the GoDaddy helper said that would cause a whole new set of problems.

So I come to you, Gurus of the Pressed Word. Help me. Please.
Thanks!!