Any scanner made by a reputable company (HP, Canon, Epson, Microtek) should suffice. Depending on the size of the original print and how large you want your final print to be, you may need to scan at 2400 dpi or larger. A rule of thumb is that your final image should be 300 dots per inch (dpi) so that if you have a 2x3 image you want to print as a 4x6, you would need to scan it at a minimum of 600 dpi. Make sure you understand the relationship between file size, resolution (dpi), aspect ratio, and physical dimensions before starting your project. Failing to understand this can result in extreme frustration with the final image. It's a subject that confuses a lot of people.
As for image editing, it depends on how damaged the pictures are and how much effort you want to put into repairing/restoring them. If you are serious about it, there is no substitute for Photoshop. I've restored several thousand images and for the control and tools I need for my work, nothing comes close. If the pictures are in good shape and only need minor repairs, Photoshop Elements is a superb program, especially for the money (roughly $50 or $60).
If you have no background, or even if you have some background, Katrin Eismann's book "Adobe Photoshop Restoration and Retouching" is probably the best book on the subject. Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Adobe-Photosh...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251527893&sr=8-1
If you need help with an image you are working on,
http://www.retouchpro.com is superb (and membership is free). You can upload your image and ask the site's members for advice on how to proceed. As much experience as I have, I still occasionally upload pictures that are giving me trouble. I've probably repaired/restored about a thousand family pictures, some over a hundred years old and, though it can take time, it is a labor of love. Don't rush through the pictures; focus on learning Photoshop (or whatever application you use) and making the pictures as beautiful as possible. It's amazing how old, seemingly hopeless photos can be brought back to life.
If your dad is uncertain whether to give them to you, explain that if he doesn't give them to you and anything happens to them, they're gone forever. If he gives them to you to scan, he will not only get back his original prints, but the images will be archived digitally. Once you scan them, make sure you back up all the scanned files onto a second drive or onto DVDs. There are also online sites you can upload them to so if your house burns down, they'll be archived off-site. For $25 per year, you can upload as many photos, at whatever resolution you want at
http://www.flickr.com. And that's just one of many photo sites on the web.
Oh, and scanning a photo will not harm it at all. Good luck with it and have fun!
