You should be able to "uninstall it" in the "Control Panel">Add/Remove programs. When the list comes up, check off towards the left of the list to check "show all updates". Should be listed as Microsoft Service Pack 3" or such

definitely do not try to remove it by doing a system restore to before you had it that causes parts of it to be left behind and then you have a big ole mix up of both of them and it is not good.

Do as Genes suggested and find it in your add remove programs list and select it there then choose to remove it, you will get warnings etc.
If you do not want it to be put right back on by auto updates you will HAVE to go to your control panel automatic updates area and set it to only notify you of updates but not install them, that way it will pop up the icon in the tray to let you know you have updates but you can select only the ones you want and skip sp3.

Oh, gosh, I've been trying to do system restore, and it wouldn't do it, thank heavens for little blessings. OK, I'll try the add/remove. I have set the updates, now, to be selected.

Oh, happy day, I got in here, using the address bar!! I removed SP3, then rebooted, and all is well again. Thank you, thank you for all the help....I know I'll be back!

excellent work phyllis! glad you are back to being happy with your pc again.

I have a related question. A couple of preconfigured XP laptops I'm looking at come with SP3 installed. If I get one of those, will be it be just as easy (as above - add and remove programs) to remove SP3 - or is it possible there will be no sp2 on the system.

Would there be a way to remove sp3 and get sp2 without much trouble?

Lynn.

lynn in those cases it would have been installed with sp3 on the disc I would guess. I think it would probably be best to just live with it as it is in that case. When it comes pre installed usually all the bugs have been worked out and it is functioning well on that pc or they would not be putting it out there with it on it.

There will be some smart people that will come out with some little script changes that will put the things like the address bar back. In fact I had found one but then his site went down and I lost it.

In a perfect world I would say yes it should have sp1, sp2 and sp3 all on it but not knowing how they have their install disc configured to load up that many computers no way to say for sure.

Thanks, Raven. The laptop I wound up buying (thinkpad x61) comes with Windows XP Pro (it didn't specify whether it was sp2 or sp3). I guess I won't worry about it too much and will just see what it is when it gets here.