XP reinstallation freezes half way through

Question

I tried 'repairing' my XP by reinstalling it from the re-installation DVD using some instructions I printed from this site. All goes well until about half way through when it freezes. It says it's still installing but it will stay on the "27 minutes left" mark for hours. I then only have 2 options: sit & wait or turn off the machine. I turned off the machine hoping to restart from the beginning. When it starts back up, it automatically restarts the installation process, going until it freezes again. Does anybody know why it's doing this? Does anyone know if the machine & previously saved data can be saved?