Are you sure you needed your Windows CD to install SP3? I have 3XP
computers here and I updated all to SP3 without needing the disk.
--
"Don't pick a fight with an old man.
If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you."
You should not need your original Windows XP installation media to install
Service Pack 3 for Windows XP.
Can you verify what (by KB######) you are actually attempting to install and
why you believe you need your original installation media?
Can you contact Dell and get a new set of installation CDs from them? (You
probably can - the question should be "Have you tried?")
Stressed out by installing a Service Pack you should have tried to install
over a year and a half ago? *grin* Not much to be stressed over there,
IMO.
--
Shenan Stanley
MS-MVP
--
How To Ask Questions The Smart Way
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html