All of you guys are going aabout this the hard way. I\'ve tried all this BS on modding this and modding that. Someone gave me a hint which I used. I downloaded BearShare, very similar to Napster, and got the whole XP Corporate iso file and then burned it to a blank CD, along with some other choice programs. No registration, activation or any crap like that. I was somewhat skeptical, but gave it a try. Now I have it installed in this computer and 3 others here at home. It works great!! I have used Windows Update on various occassions without a hitch, on all the computers. It will take a while to download \'cause it was something like 500 megabytes, so hope you have a DSL or cable connection. If you feel somewhat paranoid about Windows Update, you can go to CNET.com and download the catchup utility and it will give you all the updates without passing through the Microsoft \"gateskeeper\". Have any questions, I will be glad to help, I know I have apent countless hours on trying almost anything.