>I know this doesn't help yo now, but it may have been a compatibility issue with some files IE installed and your SP files. Whenever I install a new piece of software that mucks with the OS core files, I always say No to the Restart, reinstall the SP and then reboot the system. Even though the SP takes awhile to load, I figure it has saved more time than it has cost.

Yes, could be something like that. This was actually the second IE5 attempt. The first one seemed to install OK, but was generating Explorer.exe errors and complete OS lockups. I traced the problem to IE5 (since uninstalling it removed the problem). Then I did a separate new IE5 install, when the logo lockup hit. LAN had tested the IE install, but of course they do it in a limited environment, not the same as a "real" user testing the way I am, with a zillion dev tools on the machine.

I will have them sit with me for the next IE5 install attempt, after I get done with my 4th (I'm going to lose count pretty soon) installation of NT and other major apps. Will keep your SP idea in mind.