@Wela... We'll see. I'll make a VM install of XPSP2 German and will decide after that. Everything OK with XPSP2 French. HFSLIP run, VM installation, WMP10 and Microsoft Update. I included all updates on my "beta" list minus KB896344-v2 (for English and Japanese distros only) and the Genuine Advantage Notifications update (indeed no longer required), and added KB892211 (Web Folders update), KB914440-v10 (Network Diagnostic tool) and KB923996-v2 (IE6 pop-ups update). No hiccups whatsoever. I even took 15 screenshots which I may post on a web page later. Will try XPSP1 French later today or tomorrow.