I installed the xampp on my winXP pro system as described.
It was working but then I stopped it for about a week.
When I went to restart it it would not start.
I have uninstalled and reinstalled it twice according to the instructions.
Here is a link that describes in detail what the problem is and what I have done. http://www.short-media.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3486
Thanks for your help.
"g"