If you go to the Add/Remove control panel for programs, they
have an item called Windows Components. My copy of WinXP Pro SP3
has a FAX software item. it is an optional install.
You could tick the box next to that, and then Windows would
try to install the Microsoft fax program. it is stored as a series
of files in i386 folder. The file names all begin with FXS.
Now, if you had not planned ahead, your i386 folder would be on
your WinXP installer CD. On a Dell, you probably do not have
the 31 or so files needed. The files on the CD are compressed
and the file name ends with an underscore character. You have
to "expand" the file, to get the original file complete with
correct name. For example, FXSOCM.IN_ expands to FXSOCM.INF
and the INF file contains the install information, presumably
including the list of files it wants to copy from the installer
CD, into the OS partition. The windows software doing the install,
knows it has to expand those files first before using them.
That does not answer the question of what to do about it though.
Perhaps someone else knows how to cancel an attempt to install
a Windows Component. You could go to Add/Remove and the components
thing and untick the one for FAX, but software generally is not
clever enough to put 2+2 together and realize it should cancel
the attempt.
That is, assuming this is what is happening, and you have got an
attempt to use the built-in FAX software.
Paul