modding from scratch

[J Jonah Jameson]

hello people, Im new to the mod game and want to attempt to learn what it is Im doing. Ive done some research before writing this up, but I want to put a few things by everyone. I have not purchased anything yet to get underway, so I am hoping to get set up with everything I need to do this right the first time.

First off I am not sure which version of PS2, its either a version 5 or 6. I plan on getting a pioneer a105 dvd-rw, I have read that the discs I should use are riteks, but I cant seem to find any where I live, is there another that could be recommended? I can write with either record now or nero. And lastly I am considering the messiah chip as it seems to be getting very good praise everywhere I look. Now, with this combination of things should a backup/import work first time? Also, I was wondering, since the messiah is getting abit old now, is it becoming harder to get newer games to work with it? I must admit I am abit worried about having it modded as I dont want to lose the ability to play original games with it.

I have read alot of posts and it would appear that we have some pretty talented modders here, I am looking forward to hearing what your experience will tell me!

thanks again