by Graham Moir.
I have a similar problem. Standalone machine running Windows Vista, trying to install via Moodle 2.5 via xampp.
This error "Fatal error: Maximum execution time of 30 seconds exceeded in C:\Moodle 2.5\server\moodle\mod\workshop\allocation\manual\version.php on line 26" appears immediately after the version check display which in my case was all green "OK".
Grateful for any help.