I went for a Sony myself. Just too many horror stories for JVC from places like
here and long term JVC fans (which concerned me more).
I'd say USB is a massive no-no for most camcorders with XP. I read up loads on camcorders and it looks like Firewire (i.Link/IEEE-1394) is the best way to go. The tight gits at Sony only include a crap USB cable too. USB seems to be a bit of a joke with camcorders from what I've read.
I have also found a few minor niggles (XP's fault) with Firewire whilst using Nero (capture) and eventually settled on Windows's own capture ap Movie Maker (which is part of XP) which I have found to be excellent and
very easy to use. Once I get the file (make sure you set it to grab it in AV high quality in options) I then use NeroVision Express to make or DVD of the file -or whatever you want.
Like
everything with PCs there are always going to be minor problems when connecting anything. So take you time and get help if stuck.
Back to JVC, I really did do my homework and although I'm sure the 290 is a fab machine I'm not sure that would be the case a few years down the line. I could find no other camcorder that did what the JVC does for the price. That's for sure.
Do you have Firewire? Worth getting. I got a card (which came with a free cable) from
www.ebuyer.com (quickfind 60573). The included cable was very short so you might consider 88038. You could also try
www.svp.co.uk or maybe the
AVForums Shop
Firewire is the way to go.