Wow. Phallies are rated as one of the easiest orchids for newbies! Basically here are the MINIMUMS that you must provide:
1. Shade. No direct sun. 800-1000FC light, species can handle the higher end better.
2. Humidity. at least 60% but 70%-80% being preferred with the higher end the best.
3. Water: distilled or reverse osmosis water only. If in net pots and basket water daily. In regular pots-repot into net pots or baskets-you can also use the DVD/CD cases available at WalMart for 99cents.
4. Temperatures: lows 62 degrees F. highs 90-95 degrees F.
Potting and media are not important except these plants are true epiphytes and can tolerate being grown in a basket of bark mixed with even green moss. I recommend net pots and medium sized fir barks. Nothing else.
Fertilizing is important when the plant is growing. There are several orchid foods available. If lacking anything else get some Miracle Gro Liquid plant food, mix as instructed and water daily when in active growth. Water only the mix not the plant.
I believe that that is all I can say. Definitely get back and keep this thread updated! Good luck.

I use plain water to water phals with no problems, and water here is "hard". You may need the special RO or distilled water some places, but not all.

The plants you got probably have badly damaged roots. But this is a good time of year to be trying to revive them.

I would recommend that you invest in some rooting hormone. Gels are good, Clonex or Doc's. Paint the sides between the leaves with it. Some liquid rooting hormone, eg Hormex will also help. You can "float" a damaged plant in a dilute solution for about 20' and mist under the leaves with it occasionally. Again, helps new roots form.

To get a good start on roots, cut off the spikes. They will re-spike when healthy again. Try the sphag n bag method from the FAQ, or some loose sphag in a clay pot.

I would keep them in your bright window til rooted. If you do put them outdoors, they shouldn't get sun after 9:30 AM or so-- too hot.

There was a poster here for a while who had great luck with phals growing upside down as in nature. You will have better luck with that with a healthy plant. Get them healthy, then do whatever you want with them.

For the most part I am with Mehitabel as far as advice for Silver. T-man's advice sounds too much like the standard regimen for phals in a greenhouse to be practical in a home. 95F/70% RH... whew... No offense meant but IMO a more doable line of response lies in discovering what Silver means by the previous (5) attempts with phals ending in failure. Since untold millions of phals have been grown in clay or plastic pots in bark mix or bark/sphag or sphag alone this is at least the place to start. Certainly any previous failures wasn't because s/he used pots vs baskets.

For the most part nothing that wouldn't kill a Paph or Jewel orchid should prove deadly to a Phal. So, at least for some of the Phals, grouping them with the Paph's on the patio is a strategy with good odds. Putting the rest somewhere else gives an opportunity to observe the responses of similar plants to different micro-climates. But what is meant by "near" the sunny window? Chances are the phals have never been fertilized in the office but surely they were watered at least once in the six months they were there. Actually though, being underlit in an office and underwatered is a good thing as any root rot is likely to be minimal. I really think it is simply a matter now of increasing the light level in a graduated fashion till reaching a level that results in consistent growth during the late Spring and Summer months.

T-man did make an observation that I also have: despite their differences the different orchid families usually have more in common than not and it is rare to have truly insurmountable difficulties with only one particular group. So the setting up of a system of minimums wasn't a problem really but minimums should be just that, minimums. My list of minimums would read more like this:

1. Light: Sunny East, West or South window with one 23W CFL lamp per linear 2' of windowsill OR North window with one 45W CFL per linear 2' OR windowless location with one 85W CFL per linear 2'.

2 Humidity: at least 30% with 40% - 50% better.
3. Tap water as needed OR 1x/wk plastic pots OR 2x/wk clay. If the water in your area requires treatment or is otherwise considered 'hard', distilled or RO water must still be supplemented with up to 25% of the hard water. A steady regimen of distilled or RO water will be detrimental in the long term.

4. Temps. For phals warmer is usually better other kinds vary. In winter phals will stall at household temps but live. In summer let rip. Avoid A/C where the phals are if possible.

H

all of my phals take pretty mucd direct sun in a SE window, and they do great. for me it's been the western sun which had burned them in the past...