1)
Very close, but that's みたいに, not みたいで. みたく is a slangy form of a na-adjective (conjugates as if it's an i-adjective), as same as きれくない(= きれいじゃない)or 違くない(from 違い).
2)
I, too, think that's a modifying clause. The thing that is not found yet is already mentioned in the preceding sentence, maybe?
3)
The meaning is almost the same, since わかって is considered the perfect tense (わかった, and then do).