frozen installing features

Greetings and salutations! I am trying to install the Beta 2 from a WFP-invite, mailed from MS, DVD. I first tried to do an upgrade install and the process would freeze when I would click "next" after entering the PRODUCT KEY. I decided to try a clean install on a brand new, blank (and, yes, formatted) HD. The "Installing Windows..." screen comes up, copies the Windows files, expands the files, but freezes after a few minutes of "Installing features."
I tried several different times of each type of install and the same exact thing would happen; either a freeze after the PRODUCT KEY during an upgrade or a freeze at "Installing features" with a clean install.
help.....

I am not sure if this is a device issue, but here's some guidance if you want to report a bug:
Finding setup logs, reporting and attaching logs to report, figuring out what device or driver causes hangs or crash during setup:
1. google -> beta client (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=43655) The first link should be Microsoft link. It needs .NET but I think it will be installed if you try to run it without it..
2. finding and identifying the correct logs
setupapi.app.log setupapi.dev.log <<-- last 20 lines here may indicate hanging driver
These are the primary setup logs, there are others but these are the major.
Hint: Before searching logs try Folder Options and enable viewing of hidden folders and files. Also try Run diskmgmt.msc -> assign drive letters for partitions with no drive letters.
A:
There can be multiple logs with the same name, but they are different! First look at the drive you tried to install Vista to, if it has Vista Windows\INF\ directory and the mentioned logs files.
B: early setup failure
If you can't find Windows VISTA directory (if setup did not get so far) then look all volumes/partitions in the drives that were on the machine during the install for directories starting with $. There are 2-4 of them (possibly in different partitions) depending on when the setup failed. Search for .log under all the *:\$WINDOWS.. and again look at the date/minute timestamp to see which of the logs was changed just before the failure occured.
Also see that the date and Minute timestamp of the log files are around the time when the setup failed, sometimes a setup/install failure causes the computer to automatically reboot and the setup will run again but failing in different way than the first time (making the bug report less useful). For best bug report it's better to catch the failure when it first happens. Yes it means starting the install all over again and keeping eye on it. But this will guarantee that the last line in the log will be around the time of the failure. If it is a driver crash then you can figure out the offending driver yourself just by looking at the last twenty or so lines of setupapi.dev.log.
"ElSeeDee" wrote in message

Greetings and salutations! I am trying to install the Beta 2 from a WFP-invite, mailed from MS, DVD. I first tried to do an upgrade install and the process would freeze when I would click "next" after entering the PRODUCT KEY. I decided to try a clean install on a brand new, blank (and, yes, formatted) HD. The "Installing Windows..." screen comes up, copies the Windows files, expands the files, but freezes after a few minutes of "Installing features."
I tried several different times of each type of install and the same exact thing would happen; either a freeze after the PRODUCT KEY during an upgrade or a freeze at "Installing features" with a clean install.
help.....