newbie: WINE / Windows / Office Question

[Stuart Blake Tener]

WINE users:

Hi, I am new to wine, and am getting ready to try to test it and get
started.
These questions may seem basic, but any assistance would be well
appreciated.

a) What configuration file (basic or standard) do I need to bring it
up?

b) I have Mandrake 8.1, and I typed "wine" and got a response back
about command line options, so I beleive it to be installed, any idea
what Mandrake RPMs I need to be assured are there for it to work?

c) I have been told Wine works best with Windows "installed". I am
okay with installing windows, as my goal is to start off by keeping
everything in a Linux partitioin for now, and not needing to run two
different OSes at once.
Dependability is a must for me, as I use business applications for
business work. If I choose to have windows installed, must I make a
seperate partition for it and such? or can I somehow run wine to
install Windows into a unix directory, and then use Wine and Windows
together from that point forward?

d) how well does Quckbooks run under WINE?

e) how well does Office 2000 run under WINE (Word, Excel, and Outlook
to be specific)?

Anything else I ought to know or other gotchas?

thanks,

Stuart
Beverly Hills, CA
USA