Hi there! (Please read the problem and the context. The context will help you understand what I have been doing up until the point of the problem)

The Problem:

Today I took a look at my aloe plant and one of the stalks were completely brown/purple and it wasn't completely mushy to the touch but something wasn't right. I took some pictures for you guys to look at hopefully you can tell me what is going on with my plant and how I should help it. I really want it to live and I want to help it grow this summer, I don't want to just give up on it and get a new one.

I also moved it upstairs where it can get some better sunlight so you'll see in the pictures that I put it in direct sunlight, probably the first time in months that it's had any. Please let me know what I should do.

Also, you can tell some of the stalks have some brownish spots... Not mushy, just the skin looks brown. Does this mean I sunburned it? I'm so lost I want this little guy to live!

The Context:

I am pretty new to caring for house plants... I got an Aloe Vera last September (so about 6 months ago) because I have a really busy lifestyle and I don't have time to water it every day... Also I'd like to grow it to a very large size so I can start harvesting its leaves.

I used to leave it on my windowsill in my room (my room is in the basement of my house) where it didn't get quite a lot of direct sunlight, but it was the best and brightest place for me to put it. I don't know what happened to my Aloe but I'm worried I'm killing it and it won't bounce back. I've attached some pictures for you to see.

At first I thought I wasn't watering it enough so I drenched the soil really well a couple times over the winter... The top would go dry quickly enough but have some left over white stuff on the soil... Not like mossy or spider-web type of stuff, but it was more like ashes from a burned piece of wood sprinkled over the top layer of soil... I don't know if this is an indication of mold or bacteria...

So the other day I watered it again because the top was dry, but only a little. I also was reading up on forums about what is causing my aloe leaves to turn brown and a little bit mushy... Some people said it was getting too little water and using the insides to nourish itself (which is what brought on my possible over-watering), and some people said there is root rot and I should re-pot. The pot it is in now is a standard plastic pot with tonnes of drain holes at the bottom, I know that the plant drains very very well because any time I water it the water goes right through...

Anyways, I took the plant out of its pot and loosened the soil from all of the roots... Some of the roots looked like they were brown and mushy possible rotted, but not all... I'd say 3/4 of the roots were still healthy... So I snipped off the dead tips of the roots. Also, I noticed the soil was damp to the touch but not drenched or totally soaked or anything... So I decided my plant is good for the next week or two without water.... I re potted it in the same soil because I didn't get any new soil, and I did also dead head some of the leaves that looked especially mushy and gross...

Please help!