Nikon D 70 with AF Nikkor 70-300mm lens

Hi, I just got an AF Nikkor 70-300mm lens for my Nikon D70 for Christmas and need some help. I'm really new to photography so sorry if I don't know the names of things. At first when I attached it I got an fEE error so I turned it as far right as possible which stopped the error from showing. However, now when I try to take pictures of things very close using auto-focus and the high zoom picture setting (sorry I can't remember the name of it; it's the flower icon) the lens just zooms in and out and never focuses. How can I take very close up pictures of things in focus, and moreover, how do I use this lens/camera in general? I'd love to learn how but I have to start somewhere.

The AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6D ED and the AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G both have a minimum focus distance of 5 feet. If you're closer than approximately 5 feet to your subject then the lens will be unable to focus properly.

The flower (scene) mode on the D70 is what's known as macro (scene) mode. It just adjusts the camera settings for the ideal macro picture (typically the flash, contrast, saturation, f/stop, shutter speed, ISO, etc.); it doesn't enable you to focus any closer.

There are a number of ways to focus closer to your subject. The most expensive way is to buy a macro lens. True macro lenses are designed to have a magnification ratio of 1:2 or greater.

Extension tubes (aka macro tubes or macro rings) and dioptric filters (aka macro filters) are the more affordable options. Extension tubes basically space your lenses away from the camera body to give you greater magnification with your existing lenses at the expense of some light. Macro filters are glass filters that screw onto the filter threads of your existing lenses. They optically magnify your subjects at the expense of resolution and possibly other image quality factors depending on the quality of the filters.

If you had read the specs for the 70-300mm lens you would have learned that its closest focusing distance is 3.9 feet or approximately 3'-11'' throughout its zoom range of 70mm to 300mm. Get any closer and the lens simply can't focus. Get about 4'-0'' away from your subject and it should focus just fine.