Looks like it was an internet exporer 8 problem on windows xp.
Firefox worked as expected.
What do you get if you run the general diagnostic via the web interface? Does everything pass?
General diagnostic gives:
>>> Beginning diagnostic general
Running: general *** Directory Structure *** Checking /mod partition type : Pass
Checking /mod filesystem type : Pass
Checking /mod/var/opkg/tmp is a directory : Pass
Checking /mod/boot is a symlink : Pass
Checking /var/lib/humaxtv/mod is a directory : Pass
Checking /var/lib/humaxtv_backup/mod is a directory : Pass
Checking /mod/boot/2 is a symlink : Pass
Checking /mod/boot links correctly : Pass
Checking /mod/boot/2 links correctly : Pass
>>> Ending diagnostic general
Following suggestion for the telnet instruction on listing installed packages, the list showed the packages that I would have expected to see.
Checking again this morning in the same web page session webif is showing packages as installed, but installing a new one did not show up and remained listed in the available section after having initially greyed out.The opkg list-installed however showed the package had been installed.
Using compter with windows xp pro, 32bit, iternet explorer 8, then tried firefox, all packages displayed correctly as either installed or available, installing a package resulted in the entry moving from available to installed.(Pc was on all night transfering file back to new disk) Chrome seems to work fine too.
I will use Firefox or Chrome in future.
Many thanks