Suggest more and specific info. This is somewhat confusing -- "but not install windows or microsoft" Which trend version. Which MS updates? Have you disabled the antivirus while attempting to download and install? After downloading have you also tried finding the update file via Windows Explorer then right clicking the file then Open? If a new computer and was purchased locally or from a national chain, have you contacted the source?

Just keep right on using the computer is my suggestion. You need to have something besides your anti virus program unless it is a 'cure all' type program covering virii and malware. Something like the free Malwarebytes will do you proud. Be very sure to watch as you install to stay with the free version - unless you would like the pro version of course. After April just pay a little more attention to running a virus scan and a malware scan periodically and you'll do fine. The browser you use has nothing to do with XP. Your XP is the operating system.

More memory is good but at some point there is a diminishing return on the investment and that point is a function of what you are doing with your computer. Things like first person shooter games, video editing, photo editing (of very large files) all benefit from lots of memory. Writing an email to Aunt Betty doesn't require very much memory at all because the computer can process information far faster than you can type. Same thing for the Internet, your computer can render pages faster than your connection can supply the information. So if you have a slow internet connection, you're not likely to experience much, if any improvement. With that said, 4 gigs is probably a pretty good number. If you really want a WOW factor, get a solid state drive and use that for your O/S and critical applications. To try and answer some of your questions: - Windows doesn't care about the physical drive or any logical partitions. It does make good sense to install Windows 7 on the newer, faster drive. You'll get the best performance that way. When it comes time to get rid of XP, everything will be on one drive and that, if nothing else, should help you keep things mentally organized. - My understanding is that you have two physical drives, one with a functioning version of XP and the other blank. If that is not correct, say so NOW. - When you go to install Windows 7, it will recognize that there is another operating system (Windows XP) already installed. Windows 7 won't do anything to XP other than to set up the dual boot. Essentially it's computer language that says, "XP is there, Windows 7 is here, which one do you want to use?" - Logical partitions to a drive a largely a function of personal preference. Understand that it is more difficult (but not impossible) to non-destructively repartition a drive after you put data on it. If you, for example, have a partition for music, another for videos, and a third for pictures and find down the road that you have a lot more videos than music, it becomes more difficult to rearrange things. My suggestion is a single, large partition and use folders to organize your data.

I continue to support notification of available updates with the required approval to install, but I continue to disagree with the automatic updates. When there are many updates installed at once there is certain to be a lot of code being moved, replaced or added. If after a bulk blind installation system concerns developed how would a user locate the culprit. Perhaps it is a throw back to the dark ages of the DUN, but I continue to recommend updates be installed in packages of up to three or four maximum depending on size and focus. Following a short period of operational review where it can be determined all is well the next package can be created and installed. DA