As per my comment to the OP:
@canthandlehtml question is now, if you have a webserver/PHP installed, if it's properly configured, and how you're accessing this. As http://localhost/file.php or as c://file.php in your web browser? Those are 2 different animals altogether. – Fred -ii-
As per your comment:
I am indeed accessing it as c://file.php, I was not aware this might be a problem, forgive for the inadequacy, php is something completely new for me
You're accessing it as c://file.php instead of http://localhost/file.php which is the reason why your includes don't work.
A web browser will not parse/execute PHP directives in that manner. It requires it to be running through a host with a web server/PHP installed, running and properly configured.
Sidenote:
The code that are to be included should "echo" something in order to "show" something, if that is the intention; to echo HTML etc.
Seeing <?php include 'includes/header.php'; ?> then I take it you have a form of navigation menu.
If it contains something like:
<?php
$var = "Hello world";
and it is not "echo'd", then it won't show up in your rendered HTML, it needs to be echo'd.
<?php
echo $var = "Hello world"; // this is a valid directive
// it both echo's and assigns
It's unsure if <?php include 'includes/head.php'; ?> contains meta's, or CSS to be included etc. and if it does contain <head></head> tags. If not, then you will need to add those if you are including that, or JS that is required to be in head tags, etc.
Add error reporting to the top of your file(s) which will help find errors.
<?php
error_reporting(E_ALL);
ini_set('display_errors', 1);
// rest of your code
Sidenote: Displaying errors should only be done in staging, and never production.
