On installing SP3 I find I cannot access add/remove programmes also system restore appears to have given up the ghost and spybot seach&destroy no longer works.not bad for starters. I really need help with this.

Hi britjunk,1. Are you able to access other Control Panel applets?2. What happens when you access Add\Remove Programs?3. Do you get any error?Step 1:Type appwiz.cpl in the Run box and check if you are able to access Add\Remove Programs.a. Click on Start.b. Click on Run, type in appwiz.cplc. Does the ‘Add\Remove Programs’ window pop up?Step 2:Remove Service Pack 3 by followingMethod 2 in the below article.How to remove Windows XP Service Pack 3 from your computer?http://support.microsoft.com/kb/950249Step 3: If the issue fixes after uninstall SP3, put the computer in a clean boot state and then try to install Service Pack.How to configure Windows XP to start in a "clean boot" state?http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310353Note: After troubleshooting, make sure you follow the steps to configure Windows to use a Normal startup state.Regards,Manasa P – Microsoft Support.