For one, its "Firewire" not Firewall. You being a Network admin for Windows, should know what a Firewall is.
If installed on a firewire drive, apps should run decent. SATA is a faster (I think) port type than firewire though.
I got my new mac mini on friday. I went to walmart and got the thinnest putty knife for $3.50 in the paints and hardware section.
I successfully upgraded to 4gb ram and 320gb WD 7200 rpm drive. Make sure you also have the correct philips screw driver. I almost messed the groves of one screw attached to the chassis.
I installed memory on my ppc mini way back in 2005 and will do the same on Monday when my 4gb arrives for this one. I didn't order the HD partly because I can't decide which to order (though I hear the WD Scorpio 320-7200 rpm is highly recommend), or whether the OSX re-installation is worth it. seems like it would take forever based on my initial transfer from my PPC to this one.
I only installed the RAM and the HDD because I had it lying around collecting dust; it's Crucial DDR3 and a Western Digital 320GB 5400RPM and it's pretty good so far.