With a miniUSB-USB cable connecting the camcorder's miniUSB port to the computer's USB2 port.

You don't need the CD that came in the box - unless you need the driver. You will need a video editor that can deal with AVCHD files. Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere generally float to the top.

You did not tell us what computer and what operating system (and version) you are using. AVCHD requires a FAST CPU, 2 gig (more is better) RAM and a ton of available hard drive space on the computer. An external 500 gig drive JUST for editing video projects is recommended - you should not have the video project files on the same drive as the operating system that booted the computer because of page swap and virtual memory issues.

Before you buy an AVCHD-capable editor, be sure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum requirements - and that it can deal with Sony's AVCHD implementation.