Really need help with a loading screen

Question

Ok, here's my problem, I'm making a puzzle game and I can't seem to make my loading screen work with my main menu. The loading screen is represented by an image filling up with colour where the colouring takes place by means of a thread (and there's a string as well that paints the %) . Now the loading screen is supposed to appear after i click the start button from the main menu and after completely filling up (or when the tread dies) the game panel is suppposed to be show on screen. Between the loading I initialize all the components for the game. Now, when I press the start button, the whole screen freezes (for the duration of the loading thread) after which the game screen appears. What puzzles me more is that if i don't add the game screen the loading screen works like a charm.
Here's some of the code:
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
if(e.getActionCommand().compareTo("Start")==0){
//initializing the panel for the loading
ds=new Load();
//initializing the thread that makes the panel rainbow dream
anm=new Ompy();
x.remove(pent); //pent is the jpanel containing the main menu with the customised buttons, and x is the reference to the current JFrame's content pane
x.add(ds);
pack();
/* MediaTracker tracker=new MediaTracker(this);
tracker.addImage(ds.pic.im,2); //i tried using a media tracker to wait for the image of the loading jpanel
tracker.addImage(ds.fill.im,2);
try{tracker.waitForID(2);}
catch(InterruptedException ie){} */
anm.start(); //i start the thread
//without the folowing code the loading screen works perfectly
some code
Winx gs=new Winx(); //the panel containing the game interface
some code
while(anm.isAlive()){}
x.remove(ds); // i remove the loading screen
x.add(gs); //i add the game screen
anm=null;
ds=null;
setVisible(true);
gigaslave.requestFocusInWindow();
pack();
//here ends the code that shadows my loading screen :((
else {System.exit(0);}}
}I appreciate your help.

Answer 1

Thanks for all your help ...this is what i have so far and am working with:
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
public class TVRemote{
     int volume = 5;
     int channel = 5;
     public void channelUp(){
          if(channel < 25){
               channel++;
     public void channelDown(){
          if(channel > 1){
               channel--;
     public void volumeUp(){
          if(volume < 10){
               volume++;
     public void volumeDown(){
          if(volume > 1){
               volume--;
public class VCRemote extends TVRemote{
     String tape = null;
     String mode = "Stop";
     public void insertTape(String t){
          tape = t;
     public void ejectTape(){
          tape = null;
     public void setMode(String m){
          mode = m;
     public String getMode(){
          return mode;
public String getMode(){
          if(tape == null){
               System.out.println("There is no tape");
          return mode;
I know it does have to be set as 2 files....I still need to put in a rewind and fast forward option would that be done the same way that public void insetTape is done? also I was wondering how i will interface it with the user? Cause the only output i see is a display message that there isn't any tape in the vcr.
Thankgs again for everyones help.