nbazaz,  Can you please refer to this KB article and check whether any of the situations is like yours ?

How to troubleshoot Windows Update, Microsoft Update, and Windows Server Update Services installation issues

Also can you check  what your windows update log files says ?

for this start->run

and in open box type

%windir%\Windowsupdate.log   

and click ok.

your log file will open in notepad, check for error messages, what you are getting.

If you want some details regarding reading log files check this How to read the Windowsupdate.log file

Also is there any 3rd party Firewall running or i have also read that programs like Spybot S&D also causes some conflicts with updates downloads. Pl. check that.  I hope your XP is uptodate atleast with SP2 , as you have posted.

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Right soumya.

Also is this happening recently or its happening from the start.

Possibility can be if you had some unfinished updates ealier which you might have cancelled long time back or earlier, those might be downloading /installing first. Also was it Automatic earlier then made manual to ask before install? So those earlier updtaes may be causing this slowdown . What kind of net connection you a using ?

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