For your first problem, I can't help you.
But for your second problem, I think I might have a solution...
A while ago, I made this modification that effectively doubled every enemy's attributes with a few exceptions. I also edited a couple item drops from some enemies, though nothing really notable. Random enemies won't drop Ultima Weapons or anything at all like that.
I know there are more
refined, I suppose you could say, difficulty modifications. Mine just takes every enemy and bulks them up massively. I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for, but you can download the modification and try it if you want:
http://files.filefront.com/Increased+Difficulty+Modinrar/;8230178;/fileinfo.htmlFor further information, consult the readme included in the download.