New to firewalls - need some advice for basic beginner.

I have a Netgear ProSafe VPN Firewall model FVS318. I will have two
computers attached to it and occasionally a laptop.

The two desktop computers both run WinXP Pro, and the new laptop has
Windows Vista Ultimate-OEM.

I use the computers for web browsing and usenet discussion groups. One
of the desktops and the new laptop are used for photography and have
PhotoshopCS3 installed.

I will eventually need to be able to control a web-site for a
photography business. I expect this website to be hosted elsewhere and
not on my personal computers.

I also very rarely play a game on line (Diablo II), so I will want to be
able to access the on-line game site.

What I need is a suggestion where I can find a tutorial on setting the
firewall rules; something geared toward someone who doesn't want to be a
programmer, but needs to use a computer at a fairly high level.

Also, any suggestions on what to turn off on the Vista laptop while
de-crapifying it.