I'd like to use some sort of secure method to password-protect my website, but everywhere I look on the internet, they assume you have some knowledge about it already. Could anyone direct me to a (free) tutorial for something like this, or to a place where I can learn what I need to know to understand the other sites?

Try A GOOGLE search or user sumitted tuts

I looked there, both places, but there's so much stuff . . . my question was really if anyone can tell me exactly what to do to password-protect my site, or direct me to a place that they already know of that will tell me what to do.

I found something on Google, and I think I mostly understand how PHP works, but I still have no idea how to use what I know to protect my site . . . It's for personal use, so it doesn't have to be SUPER-professional-strength, but I don't want Javascript, for example. My mom is really paranoid about hackers and viruses and she wants this to be safe.

You could use .htaccess to password protect your site.

http://www.htmlite.com/HTA006.php

You could use .htaccess to password protect your site.

http://www.htmlite.com/HTA006.php
That website seems to forget to mention that .htaccess files will only work if your server is running Apache (the most popular web server). Other web servers (such as Microsoft's IIS) do not support .htaccess files.

This one i like:

http://www.phpfreaks.com/tutorials/40/0.php

I tried .htaccess before, and ran into some problems with it. Apparently, though, I was doing it wrong, because the way that website puts it is different from what I was told to do somewhere else. I'll try that again.

Thanks also to Rosey; I'll see if I can figure this script out so I can try it.

Thank you for your help; if anyone has any other suggestions, though, please post them. I'll let you all know when I get something to work.

http://www.lifestream.nu/layouts/password.php
I'm not sure thats exactly what your looking for, but easy to understand and follow, its in regular html/css

That website seems to forget to mention that .htaccess files will only work if your server is running Apache (the most popular web server). Other web servers (such as Microsoft's IIS) do not support .htaccess files.
just to note...
on the first page of the htaccess tutorial pages there, labelled "What is an htaccess file", yes, it does mention that.
thanks.

It would actually be easier if you just downloaded a script. There are many that are actually very good.