I am a seasoned 4 track home recorder looking to upgrade system in favor of something a little more versatile. Especially, I don't know much about DAW recording but it sounds pretty good. I would like to learn
1. what types of software you need.
2. what type of computer hardware you need to install on pc.
3. what additional types of recording or interface hardware do you need
4. also where is a good place to learn more about recording in general?

Basically to learn enough about what i'm doing before putting myself at the mercy of a salesperson.

Any thoughts?