Windows and PHP can be a nightmare in some cases.
There really is no sure way to know what's happening, because the programs you need for wordpress aren't installing or configuring right.
Can you elaborate on this statement:
have downloaded WP and PHP. I have tried to follow the directions in the Codex for a local install but neither program will do anything but open in wordpad.
Does that mean when you try to run the PHP installer, it opens in wordpad? Does it mean that you're double clicking on a .php file and it's opening in wordpad?
Please elaborate