OS is XP Pro SP2, or it was until yesterday. I did a hard shut-down 2 days ago after the computer hung, and when I rebooted, I got the Welcome screen with no users listed. Tried to boot into administrator account in safe mode, no GO - no password entered, didn't work, the real password entered, didn't work. I get the login screen and when I try to enter Administrator, it gives me "The local policy of this system does not allow you to LOGON interactively." Okay, so the only way I found to actually access the desktop in any way was to try a repair/reinstall from the CD-ROM. The CD-ROM is SP1. The problem did not go away, however. I can get into the desktop by using the new account formed, but that user still does not show up in User Accounts. If I try to make a new user, I get the error message that the admin group does not exist. So to all intents and purposes, I have no administrator privileges at all, and cannot EVEN standby, only log off, which I won't do because then I wouldn't be able to get back into the files.

Is it even possible to fully lose the Administrator Account? The GROUPS do show up in permissions but I don't know if that is just a fluke and they aren't really there. Could I import a new file frm the CD-ROM, and if so, how and where? Or, since I can get into the previous files, could I copy a file from one profile back into user accounts?  There is an Administrator profile.

Thanks for your help.  If you need any other info, please LET me know.  I have no viruses or spyware, several scans.  Somehow the files must be missing or corrupted.  
 :exclamationFrom the Mothership...Oh how I wish it were that simple!  But I have no administrator account to try - nothing is showing up in any Groups setting, nor in any users setting, including the name I am currently logged in as.  I think it's some corrupted file, perhaps the security database, that has caused this.  I just need to know if there is some place I can recover that stinkin' file, assuming I can find the one that's damaged without having to shut it down again (don't even have the shut down option, just log-off).

The Mothership.  Yes, ha ha.