Thanks for the additional replies.
BTW - I wrote the drive to zeros. I won't be able to do anything until Monday. I will keep you up to date on our progress.
 
Thanks again everyone!

I just did the same thing and my Winxp install CD of course was only SP1.  XP will only support IE8 with SP3.  I had a tough time, as the MS site would NOT recognize my IE, so I couldn't download the patches. After googling...I was able to find a place that I could see via IE6 and download the Windows updates.  It took a little bit of searching but was succesful.
 
However.... 
If you have another computer handy, I'd get the SP2 and 3 and IE8 and download them onto a CD, thumb drive or whatever.  Then take those files to your XP computer and update.   BTW, after I did all this, I made CD copies of the installs/updates, so I wouldn't have to go thru this process again.  I actually think you can jump from SP1 straight to 3...but I don't remember for sure.  I'd get both service packs though to be sure.
Microsoft will discontinue all support for XP in April 2014
 
 

End of XP Support April - I suppose that means we should get full images of our XP based Computers beforehand....after upgrading one of my oldest XP Computers to Windows 7 (tried windows 8 first but it simply would not work - issues with motherboard / soundcard / network drivers and no I have no idea why 8 would not work but 7 did eventually ) - the thought of upgrading the others I have (let alone the cost) does make me consider if I should even attempt it - they are running quite happily as they are, I can see no performance improvements (well not that I can notice) using the windows 7 upgrade I have just had to do, so I think I shall just run them until they no longer work, then pension them off to the old computers home in the sky ......................