Guys, I have more questions... This won't be the last thread either! And please, still no spoilers.

I've got a silver greatsword, and some silver ingots. I can craft some minor improvements in iron for example, starting out, but cannot on the silver at all. Does this come later? I like the look of it, though I currently am using a Superior Skyforge Steel Greatsword.

Do ore deposits replenish? Now that I know what to look for, I think we need to go on a mining expedition, just walk a mountain path, and you're good to go.

The big one now...
I've been happily disenchanting crap for many levels, waiting to be able to fill a grand soul gem. Until I found a filled one in loot! Yay me! So I ran to the table with my greatsword, to discover that I can only add the low-level enchantments that I've been finding. For example, Fire Damage 10 points. Not 20 or something like that. (I have a dwarven shock sword for 20 damage, that I can't disenchant for some reason.) I can't add a higher fire damage for example, even with a Grand Soul Gem.
Which leads me to my next question...
When I find something really cool with high damage in the world, why in the world would I destroy it, so I can put that high damage on a diferent weapon? Is this the only way to get high magical damage on a weapon? I guess I don't see the point of enchanting high end gear, if you have to destroy high end gear in the first place. What am I missing?

Lydia rocks through the health potions. I have her in Superior Steel Plate, and she is making me poor with me supplying her with health potions all day long. But I've found I really need a pack mule, at least on this first character. Any tips? Most of the loot I sell, goes right back to buying health potions.

Phew, wall o' text. THanks!

I'll try, but I'm not the sharpest sword in the weapons rack.

Silver swords can't be improved.

Yes, ore replenishes. I think it takes about a month of in-game time without you entering that cell.

Filling a soul gem requires Soul Trap. You can find it as an enchantment or as a spell. Enchanting higher level enchantments takes time and perks in the enchanting skill tree. Enchant anything....jewelry, armor, weapons....to raise the level. Disenchanting raises it, too, as well as teaches you new enchantments. Once you know an enchantment, you will not be able to disenchant another item with the same enchantment regardless of how powerful that enchantment may be on the item found. The reason you can't disenchant that Dwarven Sword of Shock is because you already know the shock enchantment.

No, you don't have to destroy high end gear to learn these high-end enchantments. The high-end gear has simply been enchanted by a person with a higher level in enchanting.

Mjoll in Riften may be the answer to Lydia. You'll have to do a quest to gain her favor, but you won't have to worry about giving her healing potions.

I'm sure someone else may be able to answer this in more detail and provide better suggestions, but I hope this helps some.

Disenchanting only gives you the basic plan for the enchantment. Disenchanting a 10pt fire sword or a 50pt firesword gives you the same enchantment. The higher your level in enchanting, the better you can enchant things. So keep the high end gear until you can make better yourself.

As for silver i believe you can make jewelry with it but can't improve silver swords.

Irrespective of which weapon you learn an enchantment from, be it a cheap iron sword or a Deadric one what you actually learn is the same. What makes the enchantment more powerful when applied to a new weapon is purely governed by the quality/value of the soul gem you use. Using a black soul gem will therefore apply the enchantment in it's strongest form.