LinuxQuestions.org - Boot delay, Mouse Wheel , and Sleep

Hi Folks: I'm new to Linux and this is my first post for some help with several problems with Freespire. I don't actually think they are limited to Freespire.
1. During boot and before Freespire starts to load there is a screen with options - boot Freespire, Diagnostics, etc. If you do nothing Freespire starts to load after about 5 seconds. Can one edit a file to remove the delay or get rid of the screen? I know how to do this sort of thing in Windows but I'm lost in Linux.
2. On my XP box I have set the mouse up so that a press on the wheel results in "Back." It is very useful for I don't have to move the cursor up to the top left when browsing, etc. This is set up in the Logitech software. Can one do something similar in Linux? I've looked around but it seems to be very complex and I haven't actually seen anything about redesignating the wheel press, just left and right buttons.
3. Is there a way to get the sleep button on the keyboard to work in Linux? On XP everything shuts down except power to memory so I get fast restarts.
I think three questions is enough to start with!
Thanks, Donald