thanks for your responses, folks.
first: the camera is the sony a100....i typo'd......
second: there are 2 cords, one is for recharging, the other is
according to the pic in the manual, either a usb cable, or a video cable....i cant tell from the illustration which is which....(if i experiment and use the wrong cable am i screwing something up?)

third, assuming that i have the right cable in place, and using
windows xp, how do i crop? for example, i am shooting out the window
and there's a branch i want to get rid of....will the wizard tell me how
to do it, and help me retrieve if i got it wrong? and then set it 4 me?

and finally, for now anyway, yes dave, a polorizer is an absolute must,
i tried some shots a few seconds apart with and without, and the dif is
remarkable!

i LOVE DIGITAL!!! whyever did i wait so long to switch????

again, thanks everyone for your help and advice..

sasha