Not exactly sure about that network connection, since it's a static address, you might be able to get a few details from your Windows install (Control Panel -> Network -> Properties?). I believe the comand "ipconfig" in windows also might give you some info. In the worst-case scenario, just wait until Oct 18 and download and burn the Ubuntu 7.10 CD and install from there.
As for the kernel freeze, it will be Oct 4 (details at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/GutsyReleaseSchedule ) , but given that the kernel doesn't appear to have been updated since Sept 24, I doubt it will be changing from now to the official Ubuntu 7.10 release on Oct 18. Besides, even if it does change, you can just update the kernel after installing using the update manager, so no need to worry about that; so far, the primary issue with UNetbootin and the changing kernel has been that it can't fetch the install files from the Ubuntu servers after the Ubuntu kernel has changed and before I've updated the kernel in UNetbootin because it's still relying on an outdated version that's no longer on the servers, so in the unlikely case that the Ubuntu kernel happens to get updated right before the kernel freeze, UNetbootin will simply refuse to install and come out with an error along the lines of "was unable to fetch kernel modules" right before starting the actual install and no harm will be done.
As for switching to another distro like PCLinuxOS or deleting Ubuntu, you needn't worry about the MBR; the GRUB installed by PCLinuxOS will simply overwrite that of Ubuntu, and you can overwrite your Ubuntu partition with one for PCLinuxOS. Should you ever screw up the MBR and make your system unbootable, just boot from the Super Grub Disk at http://supergrub.forjamari.linex.org/ and that'll fix all your bootloader problems, and should you ever want to just remove GRUB in all its entirely and go back to just Windows, just boot a Windows XP recovery disk, press "R", then when you get to the recovery console, enter "fixmbr".
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