To split a window, you right click an edge of the window, and hit "Split Area" or something similar.
They've changed that for the new UI version. Now you grab from the shaded area on the corners.
The easy way to get to quadded view on the updated interface, from the basic 3d default screen, is to hit 'space' to bring up the command thingy, then start typing 'quad' until the 'toggle quad view' option appears in the autocomplete list, then click on it. It should be there by the third letter.
The other way is to hit 'n' to open the optioNal toolbar on the 3d workspace, expand the display settings (6th item in the category tree for me), and hit the big 'Toggle Quad View' button at the bottom.
Those both should work on any version since 2.52.
I don't like the way I can't just click "line" and then start making stuff and extruding it, etc.
It starts you with a cube. Either use that cube as your base or hit 'x' to delete it, then use the add menu to add a different base object.
Once you've an object sitting at the center of your scene, hit 'tab' once to go from object mode to edit mode. All your current object's vertexes should be selected. 'A' will toggle select all, 'B' will let you box-select, right-click will select individual vertexes, shift-right-click will let you do additive or subtractitive (that's totally a real word) selections, and 'E' will extrude the selected vertex(es) as far as you move the mouse before left-clicking.
Edit to add: Also, the number pad controls your camera perspective. num-7 give you top-down, num-1 give you front, num-3 give you right-side, num-2/4/6/8 move down/left/right/up if you're not in quadded view.
Reedit to readd: Also also, num-5 toggles isomorphic/perspective view.
