mfiver , if you were a bit closer than the 6000 miles between us I would be quicker to replace the boot for you .
it will take time to absorb all the info to do this diy for the first time . you will be fine , don`t rush .
I attach this pic from fp997 showing how and where to remove the shaft from the cv joint .
you may not need to remove the star and bearings from the cv joint . if there is no grit in the grease it should be ok , it`s your call . you could clean it out and re-grease it insitu or remove the bearings and star assembly from the cup whilst the cup remains in the hub .

fp997 used leverage to separate the shaft from cv joint
I ( or rather big W the engineer ) used a reasonable tap with a hammer .
the `c` clip does not usually require much force to release .

as fp997 says the bearing assembly needs to turn 180 degrees before you can remove it from the cup for cleaning . all shown in the pics on page 6 .

Attached Images