Might be a little late but I found this web-site to be ultra useful to me. It has just about everything you would need to know. It takes tiny bit of searching but it has LOADS of info.
I was about to throw that in there. Yeah, just use Windows Media Player, or whatever other program you use to rip your CDs to get the songs into an MP3 format.
I know, it’s weird, but you can actually pop the game disc into a CD player, and listen to the Half Life soundtrack straight off the disc. Good thing it’s not anymore complicated than that.
Ya not many games will do that for ya. That also works for the Opposing Force and Blue Shift cds as well.
I’ve learned mapping process with Qeradiant. Almost 3 years of learning. I mean learn anything from tutorials with very basic language skills are not easy. I’ve made three maps with recreated train (it was in 2001) …extremly more details and texture aligment etc… I really enjoyed creating something. Then my HDD crashed day before backuping. I’ve lost all my admire to continue. But today I feel big needs start all over again 
(I forgot almost everything) Maybe it’s advantage, because Hammer works a litlle bit differently then Qerad… I hope I will manage scripting objectives at least again. Animating characters and script sequences…its out of my IQ abilities 