1. yes, they're the same (2 of my cousins have civics, 96 HX and 98 DX)
2. it's a pain. you have to unscrew the lower dash by the steering wheel, the console by the shifter, the cup holders, and if i remember correctly a screw behind the glove box. you also have to loosen the screw that holds the stock radio in place so that you can pull it out a little bit and plug the cd player cord in the back of the radio. plus you have to remember where all the screws came off of. there's a whole bunch of screws and you might forget which came from where.