In order to apply, you should visit the ecfmg website:
www.ecfmg.org
Set up an account. They will email you when your account is ready. After that just log on to the website and choose your exam. I'm not sure if they still have paper applications or they made the entire process online but the last time I checked, they have both. Just follow the instructions and if you have any doubts you can ask us.
Everyone has a different way of preparing for the exam so it depends on how good you were in your basic science subjects. You can either start with an easy subject or a hard one. It depends solely on you.
Regarding books, here are some of the recommended books:
1. Step 1 kaplan lecture notes 2008
2. Step 1 videos 2007
3. Goljan pathology notes and audio
4. MedEssentials textbook
5. First Aid for step 1 2008
6. Kaplan qbank
7. IV qbank (also known as usmleRx)
8. USMLE world qbank
9. NBME forms (I believe there are 6)
People have taken from 2 months to a year to prepare for the exam. You should set up a time table to get an idea of what date to pick for your exam. Maybe choose your exam date once you have atleast 60 - 70% of your studies completed.