[McHub532]

Well... so I fiddle
undo
fiddle
undo
fiddle
undo
fiddle
undo.....

for an hour

I don't know if this is the best way, the easiest way or even the correct way but it worked.

Step by Step what I did:

1. Open GIMP 2.6.8
2. Open File -> pinup.dds
3. Open Another GIMP Window and go fetch a picture on my hard drive.
4. On pinup.dds I press Image Tab -> Image Properties and get the pixel size of the original file.
5. Back to my new picture and I crop and shrink until it is exactly the same size as the original file.
6. Select new picture, copy.
7. Go back to the pinup.dds, Edit -> Paste
8. This puts my new picture over top of the old pinup.dds perfectly.

Now.. where all the craziness came and what I figured out:

9. Windows Tab
10. Dockable Dialogs Option
11. Layers Option
12. A pop up window appears
13. It shows all the various layers in the dds file. I clicked the eyeball (view) and the chain (link) icons to activate everything on all layers.
14. I check the small box at the top of the pop up window for 'lock alpha channel'.
15. Now.. ignoring that popup window now.
16. Image Tab of Gimp
17. Merge Visible Layers Option
18. File Tab of Gimp
19. Save Option

it worked.... good heavens I feel like I've accomplished something huge here. Heh