i currently have left my old hosting company which was also my developer.  He has forwarded onto me the file for my old website, however everyone i try to host it can make any sense of the files he has given me.  he has given me 2 files.  The file extensions are .resources and .template.  Are these the correct files? what file do I need to make my website work. 

Your old hosting company/developer certainly isn't doing anything to help you!

What you should have received is a copy of your website directory and a backup of your database file.  With these, you can easily install your DotNetNuke website on your new host.  If I were you, I would ask your old hosting company for these, or ask for instructions on how to get them. 

It's possible that  it will be difficult to get what you need because you were in an environment where your site was one of many sites in a shared installation of DotNetNuke.  If that is the case, you might want to look around for one of the "backup" modules that are available at Snowcovered.  There are several choices, and I don't have experience with any of them, but it might be possible to use one to extract a more useful copy of your site from your old host's system.  It certainly cannot hurt to ask/inquire.

If you are stuck using the exported file provided by your old host, you will need to know several things:

1. Version of DotNetNuke used for the old site
2. Complete list of modules (and versions) used in your site
3. The skin you used

You will then need to install the old version of DotNetNuke, install all of the modules, and install the skin.  Then, you will need to upload the two files provided by your host and use them to import the portal.  To do this:

1. Login to your portal as a superuser (Host Account)
2. Navigate to Host -> Portals
3. Click add new portal
4. Fill in the normal portal details, except choose the template that matches your exported file name from the dropdownlist.
5. Once you have completed the details, click create portal

I hope that this helps.