How can I take profession looking portraits in low light conditions?

Is there any setting I should adjust to acheive the best results. I have a Kodak EasyShare digital SLR with 26x zoom and I want to take portraits -maybe even with a tripod- of some maybe peering out a window with a bit of sunlight shining through but the rest of the room is fairly dark. How would I be able to do this meanwhile having it look fantastic and being able to actually see the picture in a specific light setting such as the setting I just described?