XP error during initial install

I encountered an error during the initial installation of Windows XP (180 day trial version). After what appears to be a normal setup, the system reboots, continues installation again, then stops with an unrecoverable error (“parse error”) at file \I386\ASMS\6000\MSFT\WINDOWS\COMMON\CONTROLS\controls.man
The installation then terminates.
I tried a simple reformat/reinstall, but got the same results. Any ideas…I already wrote MS, but got no reply.