Plugin install gets stuck

Hello, any help would be appreciated ??

Fresh WP 2.8.5 install, with nothing on it. Trying to install an e-commerce plugin on it. I get stuck at Unpacking the package and nothing else happens. I thought something might be wrong with the package, so I tried with all different random plugins, and the same thing happened. I tried downloading directly within WP admin and by uploading a zip file. I tried manually installing the plugin through FTP but that resulted in a error 500 when I tried to activate it. Searched the forums but that wasn’t too conclusive either. Checked my permissions, everything is fine. Like I said it’s a new WP install so nothing is interfering with the plugins. I am more or less experienced with WP so I know how to install it properly, so I doubt, though it’s possible, that anything went wrong with the install.

Any ideas, suggestions, comments would be helpful.

Thanks!