SP2 would only install from 'safe mode'...

Here's a weird one data point. Today, I installed SP2 on a Win XP Home
machine, whose only Internet connection mechanism is AOL (i.e. dialup).

So, I again used the same free CDROM copy of SP2 that I had acquired a few
weeks ago from my local Staples outlet. However, this time, the weird part
of
the story is that when I would insert the CDROM into the normal system, it
would APPEAR to be trying to self-launch but could never get to a point
where
a dialog ever got launched. (Instead, I'd just see the little 'CDROM-icon'
intermittently
light up along side the cursor, but it wouldn't start up.)

So, my usual 'plan B' for this, is to just navigate to the cdrom-drive,
display a directory
and find the appropriate file to manually launch it.

But, this TOO failed...I could see it trying to launch, but the furthest I
got was to see
a DOS-box showing the .EXE for SP2 had been launched (the cmd itself was
shown).
But, again, no GUI interface that could be interacted with ever got
launched. So, I first
checked to see that the acct (user-named KATHY) had the administrator
privilege.
Yes, it did.

Needless to say, I was very much in 'mumble-mode'. Mystified, it finally
occurred to me
(even tho the system seemed to function totally normally in every other way)
to shutdown
and bootup into 'SAFE MODE' (i.e. the most minimal one, since I did NOT
even need
networking turned on). So, I then logged in (as 'administrator'), and again
re-inserted
the SP2 cdrom kit. This time, it self-launched perfectly and I went on thru
to a no-problems
upgrade to SP2.

I really have no 'question' (because the outcome was then successful).

But, it sure makes you go "Hmmm...wonder what that was about!?".