In an answer to my own question, in hopes of maybe helping someone else that is just starting SDR's, I found that patience and trial & error helped most in figuring it out. Some things are basically the same when dealing with utilities such as COM ports etc. Software plays a big part in how things fit together. I was able to get all of what I needed and understand why I received no answers. It's relatively easy but really hard to explain to someone how to do it. I'm new to SDR's but have really enjoyed learning what I can and how similar things are to the analog world as long as you can relate to the transitional digital components and changes. My biggest problem was I was making it far more difficult than it really was. In short, I was trying to put everything together as one, right off the bat. Later, I took my time, wrote everything down and approached it one step at a time, getting one program to work with another program until all were finally working together. Also, it helped quite a bit by reviewing the different posts and inquiries that people made over time. I'm 64 and on a fixed income so it's really hard to not buy all the toys I want, but this is definitely the best thing I have gotten in awhile. (SDR) Thanks Chris and Josh for helping me make the right choice for my initial SDR by showing me what's out there and what can be done with them. I still have my original PK-232, but it's in the closet because I can do so much more now with software verses hardware.
So if you're new to SDR's, I hope my post helps by showing you not to get too overwhelmed by things and just approach them one at a time.