avr_fred:
Lots of missing info here... You never said you installed a bootloader. Please detail all the steps you’ve done or at least confirm the bootloader flashed okay.
I have not flashed a bootloader. Upon further research I understand i need to flash the bootloader in order to set the fuses properly. Is this correct?
I tried flashing the bootloader using the ArduinoIDE, but now im getting the invalid device signature error 0x00ff00
I also tried using the Nick Gammon tutorial for bootloading the chip, but the serial monitor reads "Attempting to enter ICSP programming mode................ u%⸮⸮⸮t*9⸮.⸮-⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮⸮u[⸮}⸮" and nothing else.
So at this point nothing is working on the chip and I dont know whats wrong.
what other info do you need? i have verified the physical connections so i dont think thats the issue.