query_posts breaking next & previous page links navigation

A moderator can delete this please. Sorry for the trouble.

I was uploading my revised index.php to the wrong theme folder the whole time. Silly me.

Here is my site:

https://ksuchallenge.com/fresh

I’m using query_posts to exclude some categories from the front page and it seems to have broken the pagination built into WordPress. I’ve read (and implemented) each of the solutions listed here:

https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/57912#post-312858
https://www.ads-software.com/support/topic/152451?replies=12#post-679318
https://www.michaelciccarelli.com/2008/07/fix-pagination-on-query-posts/

with no luck.

Here are the two blocks of code I’ve tried:

Method 1

<?php
$limit = get_option('posts_per_page');
$paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1;
query_posts('showposts=' . $limit . '&paged=' . $paged .'&cat=-6,-8,-9,-10');
$wp_query->is_archive = true; $wp_query->is_home = false;
?>

<?php if (have_posts()) : while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>

Method 2

<?php if (have_posts()) : $paged = (get_query_var('paged')) ? get_query_var('paged') : 1; query_posts("cat=-6,-8,-9,-10&paged=$paged"); while (have_posts()) : the_post(); ?>

Neither one works, and I’m quite stumped and would appreciate any help. Please let me know if you need any more information.

Thanks!