re 1: there was one floating around this forum but it has dissapeared. Somebody re-started it a few days ago, you could check that.
re 2: check the tutorials over at
www.psxcopyworld.co.uk
re 3: if you haven't got one yet, I advise you to get a pre-modded system with Messiah 2 through charlie_ps2 / dust2dust.
re 4: your system spec is fine
check
www.elby.de to see if your writer supports RAW DAO-96 writing, if it does use CloneCD for your PS2 CD-R backups.
For DVD-R backups you might want to look at investing in a dvd writer such as the Pioneer or Sony drives.