i am not that technical at all...
how do i figure out "what to buy" in order to:
upgrade/ add  memory to my computer
new hardrive? install it?
what type of dvd/cd burner to get?

I am not a tech person-just a user; but I just had a new system built-I wanted alot of memory(ram) and large hard drive' so I discussed with this tech person what to add to the system--We put in 350 gigs of hard drive and 1 gig of ram-now this is alot but if you want to store alot of data; go for the most  memory and space for harddrive you can afford-I wanted a custom computer built because I wanted the desktop case to be clear plastic with lights and a lit keyboard-I could not find this on the market so he built it-The cost came out about the same as the best Dell XPS-which is their top of the line-so-talk to friends or do like most people and buy a Dell-I would suggest getting at least 1 gigabyte of Ram and 100 gigabytes of H.D-PS-You may want to wait 6 months or so for the new Windows operating system to come out-Vista will be installed on the new computers and you won't need to upgrade-

You add memory modules to the motherboard. There are several online sites that will scan your computer and tell you what type of memory you need.
You need a dvd/cd burner that is supported by your burning program, usually it will be from either Roxio [formerly Adaptec] or Nero.
If you have neither program, they usually include one with the drive.
Considerations are usually drive speed, price and manufacturer. Probably best to stick with a company you know, like Panasonic, Memorex, etc.

theres a site caled belarc advisor
you can use free and it scans your computer and tells you everything thats on it and its currant state on hotfixes and updates
and  its free to scan  
perhaps ray and baby can try it out and advise you if its ok to use
it may be helpfull  
so you know what memory board  system model it will tell you everything you need to know thats helpfull for us  computer   dummies   he he  
anything on the puter it will list for printing of so you have a copy and an idea  when the shop teckies talk  
you can look it up or when you go to upgrade sites