Not sure I can really help but I've had a lot of difficult experiences
loading XP.
Are you sure that the initial part of the installation was completed? Are
you formatting in FAT32 or NTFS?
One suggestion would be to do a DOS install. Use your boot disk just to get
to the A:\ prompt - clean or reformat your HD type in SMARTDRV (il you
haven't got it you can usually get it from a boot disk supplier on the net)
and either go into your I386 dossier on the CD and type WINNT or create an
I386 dossier on your HD and copy all the files from the I386 on the CD to
the dossier you've created - then go into the new I386 dossier on the HD and
type in the WINNT command. (I've sometimes had to retype SMARTDRV as well -
almost as if it gets cut out.) You can opt for NTFS if you've formatted in
FAT32
It's just an idea which might get round your problem, though if your
experience is like mine you have to be patient. I've had installations like
that hang up totally and I've also had them hang for about 20 minutes and
then suddenly restart. Last time I actually went to bed and left it to it.
Got up to make some tea a few hours later about 2 o'clock in the morning and
there it was ready to continue a good install!
You do mention that it's a Windows XP update disk. I think that a lot of
these are time limited versions - depends how or where you got it. All the
CDs supplied originally with the sets we are given are limited to one
install or thirty days.
Good luck
Keith Braithwaite

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