Video Help Needed

Okay, so I'm pretty proficient with a camera, not a professional by any means, but I can take a pic, edit it and post it online with ease. I wish I could say the same for video. I have a digital video camera, mini dv, and I have to be honest, I don't use it much because I don't really know how to get the pics on my computer (Okay, I can figure that part out) and I don't know how to edit them after they are on my computer. Does anyone have any helpful advise? Computer editing programs? Etc. Also, I don't want to bog down my computer with large files so I'm sure I have to edit & remove quickly - right?

So - all you video people (and you know who you are) HELP!