Hi Everyone and thanks for the two responses.  Let me explain this problem more in detail because I was timed out previously..  Help and Support is listed in services but unable to start the service.  When I click start in services I get this error message:

  Error 1083:  The executable program that this service is configured to run in does not implement this service.  The problem may stem from an accidental deletion of a registry key.  I downloaded helpsvc.zip and extracted helpsvc.reg to merge the contents to the registry to restore the Help and Support service entry.  A message indicates it is was successful but still the same error 1083 message appears. 

  I have also done a restore point and downloaded Wscfix.fix.  It indicates that this utility requires adminstrator credentials to run correctly and leads me to believe that Dell holds administrator privleges because of OEM status.  Tell me this isn't so.

  The initial message I get from the start menu says that Windows cannot open Help and Support because a system service is not running.  To fix this problem, start the service named "Help and Support", but it just won't respond to a start in services.

  My knowledge of registry issues is simple and unabashed, so if you feel you can provide advice, I so would appreciate simplicity. 

  Thank you for responding and any advice you have is most welcome.

 

Dimension E310 Series, Windows XP Media Center 2005, Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
Intel Pentium 4 Processor 521, 512MB DDR2 SDRAM at 400MHz, 160GB Hard Drive
Microsoft Office 2003 Basic, Outlook Express 6.0, Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2, Cox Cable,
Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, SpySweeper Version 4.5.9 (Build 709), Spyware Blaster,
CCleaner, A-Squared, Defender 2 Beta, Zone Alarm 6.1.744.000, Avast Version 4.6 Home Edition