Moc - thank you for your help.
What I get when I try to change my avatar with one of the two files I uploaded (via cPanel) to the default directory is the gray default avatar box of the showdow figure and when I click that box I get the "upload your avatar", a box to Browse to my avatar, the word "OR", then a small box with an "X" in it. I notice the "X", which I see in the admin.php file as a default when it can't find the files.
I also tried to upload my own avatar file and now in my user profile under the Avatar section I see a box with an "X" in it and "Click on the avator to change it" However, it is showing the avatar in the chatbox - so somewhat progress. It is showing the avartor on the site just not in the profile section.
I was able to turn on the upload avatars and photograph functions in the user options section based on the info you gave me and I was also able to clear the cache - thanks.