[Advil000]

Yes, you need to manually install IE8 and maybe use the update fix.

XP is now officially “too much trouble” to install for personal use. The trouble involved is only justifiable if you must use it for business and nothing else will work.

It is past, past, past time to get off XP.

Windows 7 is still available for purchase and will be for a long time yet. Don’t want to spend money on 7? Fine. Just find a dead Vista machine and use the license.

But GET OFF OF XP. The final cutoff for updates is April. After that, it’s over anyway. No more security or compatibility with anything current.

[Errant]

I’m pretty much done with Windows. Hereafter I’m going with some flavor of Linux - Linux Mint is pretty cool for the PC.

[Slump Tester]

XP will do just fine for what I want - a good stable OS to run in Virtualbox. If it gets screwed up, I just copy a couple back-up files and I'm as good as new.

I just need to get the initial "new" condition established so I can back it up.