Noob question, I hate those, they are the worst.
Before you do anything get
PPCPIMBackup. This will allow you to back all contacts and PIM data (emal/OEM text messages) . Then restore this after your hard reset.
Never put your email in a public forum. Your just asking for spam. Aks for someone to PM you or use the chat at the top of the page.
The new rom/radio that we are talking about is 3.16 that allows EVDO rev A (faster data) and Stand alone GPS. You can read more about it
HERE. This release is a leak and is not official. There is some bugs in it but overall works ok. The last thing that I heard was the official date was 2/22 (rumor?)
As far as what to do after a hard reset. 1st things first, restore contacts. After that it is a personal preference. First thing for me is install the basics, Resco (better file explorer/reg editor), wisbar lite (cascading start menu), fTouchflo. Then its the programs that I use, then all of the customizations.