The config directive to add nodes is called addnodes not addnotes (there is a d not a t).

Also, you should check if the nodes that you are directly connecting to are online, you can do this by either pinging the address, or attempt to directly make a connection to the I2P node by itself.

Firewalls should not be blocking the control panel because it is hosted on localhost. But try disabling the firewall anyway and see what happens.