flynverted,
Just to check, you did try the WinXP Scanner and Camera Wizard right? It has several options for handling the transfer of your pix from the camera to the hard drive. (You can run it manually if it does not launch when you connect your camera.)
Take Care,
Richard
P.S. If you have USB 2.0 on your computer, it is a good idea to get a card reader as Mac recommends, since it will download your pix 50 times faster than the camera could!