There are a few problems plaguing me and I can't find any good fixes on the forums. I'm running 2.5
1) My initial data does not work. It doesn't matter what I check, I will never start with anything but the default small shield.
2) When I pick up bombs, it goes right to my bomb count. So what is the point of the bomb bag? Is there any way to get it so I can only collect bombs when I have the bomb bag?
3) Strings in shops currently freeze my game. I have followed the rules at PureZC tutorials to no avail.

Any help would be EXTREMELY helpful. Thank you so much in advance, and sorry if these are trivial questions. =)