upgrade.php just sits and doesn’t seem to run any

mysql 3.23.36
PHP Version 4.0.6
https://dixiblog.com/
hello. i set up 1.02 a few days ago and ever since i have been trying to get 1.2versions work…any 1.2 including a nightly a few days ago and both rc1 and rc2…among the things i’ve tried including blowing everything away and attempting clean install. (for some reason when i do this with 1.2, either rc1 or rc2, it tells me i don’t have wp installed and directs me to the install page (which i _know_i don’t have it installed and i’m already on the isntall page.) i tried commenting out the check for installation as i saw suggested elsewhere here, but that doesn’t get it either. it gives me a number of errors related to some wp-options -i’m thinking…anyway, certain table data not being found. )but i digress.
i rebuilt my original 1.02 database to try the upgrade dance once more…
so: i blew away all the wp 1.02 files and uploaded 1.2rc2. i try to run wp-admin/upgrade.php but nothing appears to happen. it adds the querystring ?step=1, but there is not indication that the code is being executed, and i never get to the finished message. when i got to my blog afterwards, i get the database errors at top because the tables aren’t properly modified.
i thought i’d be clever and manually modify the tables based on the php in upgrade-functions.php, looking for the sql that matches the errors i’m getting. i did that, and the blog displays fine, but then it would not let me log in, depsite the fact i was using the username and password clearly set in the database…
so at this point, i could easily revert to 1.02, but i don’t see that solving the problem of upgrading, ’cause i still want to! i’ve left it as is for the moment in case it’s helpful to see what it’s doing.
suggestions would be much appreciated.