configure tor button for firefox use

i dl'ed tor for osx and the torbutton for firefox;
they both installed fine and i can turn the tor button on and off as well as access the preferences;
but with the button enabled, i cant connect to any site;
i get a message when testing the settings that it is an "internal error"
i am assuming this is because of the proxy settings
i used privoxy automatic settings and tried to manually configure the proxy settings but i am a noob and am only vaguely aware of what a proxy is;
do i need to change ports?
and if so what ports;
btw what is a port?
is it hardware or software related?
any help would be appreciated, i am not stupid just ignorant;
you can email me directly if that is appropriate;
[email protected]