hd2k

Oooops - double post!

I'm not sure what will happen using the link you posted, so use this link: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=43 It downloads a standalone installer, but does still require an active internet connection as it will download and install updates and files as needed to complete the IE8 install. You should definitely install IE8... it is much more secure than older versions, and many web sites no longer support IE6 or IE7 and won't be displayed properly.

Yes, you can plug it into any USB port and leave it there.... however- some motherboards have a setting in the BIOS for "USB mouse support" and/or "USB keyboard support" which are sometimes combined as "USB input device support"; be sure these are set to "Enabled", but these settings are generally on older motherboards more than 3-4 years old. If the motherboard has only USB ports and no PS2 ports, then this is a non-issue and is nothing to worry about - you can simply plug in the USB mouse and keyboard and dive right in. GOOD LUCK!

For future use, you can always slipstream IE7 (plus drivers, service packs, updates, newer versions of Windows Media Player, etc) in to a custom made WinXP installation disc. You'd copy the files from your current install disc to a folder on your desktop. Then use something like RyanVM Integrator or nLite to build the custom disc. You'll end up with an ISO file which you can then burn as an image using your favorite burning software. For detailed info, check the guides available at the links I provided, or use Google. When I was still using XP, I built a disc with all my drivers, SP3, all post SP3 updates, Flash Player, IE8, media codecs, all built in, so when I performed a clean install, it was one simple step. It really saves a lot of time in the long run not having to install each driver separately, not having to download updates, etc....