vmplayer on ubuntu (windows xp install)

[Tim Hart <codermsu@gmail.com>]

For experimentation sake, (hopefully for future replacement of current work machine), I tried installing Windows XP sp2 using vmplayer on ubuntu.  

The process seems easy enough, but glitchy at times.  

I think the issue is in my initial configuration of vmplayer associating the virtual networking with the hosts nics and such.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=84275 <-- setup guide

The problem occurs when running the windows setup.  It completes the file copy and device setup (although it took a few tries.  it seems to work best when you leave vmplayer with focus while installing for probably obvious reasons).  I insert the key.  No problem.  Then it "Installing Networking", gets halfway through the progress bar and then either freezes or the virtual system shuts down and closes vmplayer.  

Any thoughts?  

thanks

tim hart