Need help resoring site

[Newb]

I should point out from the start that I'm a total newb so please don't assume any prior knowledge.

I was trying to add a banner ad and was messing around in header.tpl. Obviously did the wrong thing as the site is now a white screen of death!
I had backed up all files just before dabbling but really not sure what to do with the zip file the backup created. I have tried reading through all the previous posts concerning resore/backup procedures, but to be honest it wasn't that clear to me what I need to do. Can someone please explain in basic terms how I can get my site up & running again? Would greatly appreciate it!

[worldwalker]

are you using any special template ?

if not. download the wistie template and replace the file you was editing when you screwed something up.
( my guess is it was the header since it was a banner )

its always handy to keep a "virgin" copy of the template you are using to fix something if you screw something up.
you dont need to restore or reinstall the entire site for one little error.

also. when editing the site. always do live testing of everything you edit. in the software you use to edit the site. "CTRL Z" will undo the last things you edited, if you test each and every thing you edit, you are constantly on top of what is working and what is not

[Newb]

Not sure about the template. I just inherited this site a couple of days ago and know nothing about html, Pligg or anything. The default template is "connect" and the alternatives are "wistie" and "text". Does this mean that "connect" is a special template and shouldn't change to wistie?

[worldwalker]

it does yes. "connect" would be the name of the template your site uses

[Newb]

ok, but still have no idea how to get my site back up

[worldwalker]

well neither do i yet, sorry.

what file were you editing when the mistake happened ?

[JoeWa]

Mine does the same thing very regularly when editing files. Try to recall the file you were editing (order the date column in your FTP software perhaps and see what was last edited). Then rename the file, let's say it was header.tpl to header1.tpl... then upload that one (with the changes undone, or try this anyway)... and delete/rename header.tpl on your server, upload header1.tpl and rename it to header.tpm - I promise it's easier than this description! It works wonders for me. Simply undo-ing changes in the same file and uploading it never works for me, I have to rename and reupload. Top tip!

[Newb]

thanks for all the advice so far. Appreciate it. Unfortunately, after receiving the first post from Worldwalker I tried changing the template to wistie, now when I try to do anything I get the message "ERROR: my_base_url is not set. Please correct this using the admin panel. Then refresh this page." How do I get my original template back? Might need to get that sorted first before attempting JoeWA's advice?