A few questions from a relatively new user

[cmost]

The monitor resolution is easy, if you're willing to dig in and get your hands dirty. First, forget the graphical tools. Let's go straight to the text files shall we? Open a gnome-terminal and type
$sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.bak-mm-dd-yy (where mm-dd-yy equals the date)
$sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

When gedit appears, with your xorg.conf file loaded up, scroll down to where your default color depth is and ensure it's set to 24. If you're running a fairly recent system (and if you ever want 3D compiz effects) this is what you'll want. The section might resemble this:
---
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200]"
Monitor "Generic"
DefaultDepth 24

Note: In the above example, my particular video card and monitor are listed. Your file may look different. The important part is to make sure the DefaultDepth = 24.

Now, scroll down to the depth you specified above (24) and make sure your lines have your desired resolution first. They should look something like this:

---
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1920x1200" "1440x900" "1280x1024" "1280x960" "1152x864" "1024x768" "832x624" "800x600" "720x400" "640x480" "256x160"
Virtual 1920 1200
EndSubSection

Note: There is purposely no "x" between 1920 and 1200 in the Virtual line. Also, your lines might not look exactly like mine.

Save the file; reboot your computer (or restart X manually.)

You should now be at your desired resolution. If for some odd reason you cannot boot to a graphical GDM, then don't despair. You can undo the changes you made at the command terminal. (It's good to know your way around a command line if ever you're stuck.) Log in by entering your username and password. Then type:
$sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Use the arrow keys to scroll up and down the file to undo the changes. Then type CTRL+X followed by SHIFT+Y to save the changes. Then type:
$sudo reboot
...to reboot the computer again with your old settings.

Alternately, you could always type:
$sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak-mm-dd-yy /etc/X11/xorg.conf

As to your mouse problem, I don't have such a mouse myself, so I can't assist with that. Good luck.