I'm trying to install Kubuntu on my computer (running Windows 7 Pro) to a blank SSD; however, I keep getting the notice: "A error occurred: Cannot download the metalink and therefore the ISO. For more information, please see the log file: c:\users\xxxx\appdata\local\temp\wubi-14.10-rev289.log." With the CD containing the ISO image in my CDROM, is it safe to change the boot order in my BIOS to the CD and then restart my computer? Kinda scares me to try that!

Your message in the post has a reference to "wubi". This is a piece of software written by the Ubuntu developers to run Ubuntu/Kubuntu inside a windows installation. It is NOT supported or being developed any longer and people are NOT encouraged to use it so even at the Ubuntu/Kubuntu forums, you are not likely to get any help with it.

If you properly burned the iso file to a CD as an image (doubt if will fit on a CD?), then yes, you need to set the CD drive to first boot priority in the BIOS in order to boot it. Booting it will allow you to try it out without installing if you want or to do the install. If you don't have any experience installing any operating system, I would suggest you read a tutorial or two before beginning as any time you are installing an operating system of any kind there is a chance of data loss. If you read the link below and take some notes, it should help a lot.

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/u...all-guide.html

It could also be that you are trying to install 14.10 if this is right. In which case it is no longer supported so likely won't work regardless of wubi or not.

Got Kubuntu installed on separate SSD from Windows 7. At first mouse and keyboard wouldn't work. Restarted again and when Windows 7 came up, mouse and keyboard were working again. Now just have to figure out how to boot in Kubuntu -- these UEFI Bios are KILLING me! Kept pressing F8, brought up boot menu, selected the SSD Kubuntu is installed on, and computer started in Windows 7. This is turning out to be so much fun!

Found the SSD Kubuntu is installed on in Device Manager; however, does not show up in My Computer because the SSD doesn't have a label. When I go to Disk Management to try to assign a label to it, I can't -- every option except "Delete Volume" is grayed out. This drive WAS identified by a drive letter before I installed Kubuntu to it; now that drive letter has disappeared! And I CAN'T boot into Kubuntu because the computer doesn't recognize it without a drive letter. Do I need to somehow delete the volume, label the drive, and try to install Kubuntu all over again, probably with the same results?

I could not agree more - UEFI can be a pain.
If Windows is installed in UEFI mode, then Kubuntu must be installed in UEFI mode also for things to run smoothly.
For Kubuntu to be installed in UEFI mode, you have to make sure the installation media booted in UEFI mode before installing. Did you do that?
You can get a good overview of how things are currently set up by running Boot Info Script.
Install boot-info-script:
Then run the script:
Paste the results at pastebin.com - and copy the resulting link to the forum.