so i tried copying all those over, still no go.
so i renamed the old moodle bakto moodle (first renamed the new one /moodle285)
then logged back in and removed 2 more of the add-on plugins the only one left is /game, which i do use.), and changed the theme to the basic one (but the one i had was one of the default included choices), now im reup-loading the 2.8.5 files again, copying over the config.php and .htaccess again ,and will try again
im just not sure whats causing it to hang like that.
i do see the .htaccess in the moodle folder, and dont see how to turn on/off hidden files, as i see the .htaccess there by default... ill try more again tomorrow.
thabnks again for all your assistance, it does really seem easier than i'd initially thought, just have to make sure the to copy overt the config.php and the .htacess files and the new version is supposed to auto-update when it works properly.