Windows XP Service Pack 2 Halts on “Checking Product Key”

If you’re installing Windows XP Service Pack 2 and it halts or hangs on you while it is allegedly “Checking Product Key”, you can fix it like so:

1) Please go into the CMD prompt (Start/Run –> cmd.exe )

2) Then type cd /d %windir%\inf and make sure we are in that
directory.

3) Then type ren oem*.inf oem*.old, it will go back to the prompt
after giving you some error (Do not worry about it)

4) Then type ren oem*.pnf oem*.old1, it will go back to the prompt
after giving you some error (Do not worry about it)

5) Then goto start – run – type “%windir%\inf” and you will see
the files in the folder.

6) Then find the file by name INFCACHE.1 and take a backup of it
to desktop (by copying it to desktop) and delete the INFCACHE.1
from c:\windows\inf.

7) Close all windows and reboot the computer to safe mode and
start the installation of SP2 and it should go fine.

This solution is dotted all around the internet, but I can’t find it’s original source. If you know the source, let me know and I’ll credit it correctly.