@redman41.....I am inclined to agree with you that perhaps a new computer is the answer. However, whilst, come April, XP will no longer be supported by Microsoft, it will Not mean that the system will become defunct. XP will continue to work and if one has a good Anti Virus programme installed, it should continue to work satisfactorily.
@anotheoldgit.....Bing is another Search Engine similar to Google, Yahoo, etc. There are some interesting ones about and a really good one with an atrocious name is 'Dogpile'. You can make anyone your homepage for start-up.
I have never had any experience of using Windows Power Shell and Do Not feel it is something for us ordinary home users of computers. I doubt that it will do any harm if left in your Computer.
You can download IE 8 from here :-
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/downloads/ie-8