Hi,
Donations are NEVER required. AFF is free to use, and while we always appreciate help, there is no requirement to donate.
It sounds to me like you're not logged in properly. Did you log out and then log back in using the upper right fields? Those center fields only work once, at activation, and after that, will cause a login fault.
I suggest you log out completely, and close the browser. Restart the browser, and then log back in using the upper right fields. That should allow you to move about the archive properly.