locked myself out - please HELP!

[NTidiot]

Please help me out of my major blunder, o computer spirits!

While setting up PCMacLAN on our WinNT machine, I set C:\ drive as not shared by anyone, thinking that meant not shared by anyone on the ethernet network and not realizing that the computer thinks I meant not accessible even by the regulars who sit right in front of the computer! The hard drive has two sectors: C:\ contains mostly just the OS and program files, and F:\ contains mostly the data files as well as one shared folder (which still shows up as a shared folder accessible on the network). The result is that the computer will not let anyone access anything on C:\ - so no user profiles boot up the system interface and all you get is:

1) message window from the userinit.exe titled "Invalid Current Directory" with the message: "The process cannot switch to the startup current directory C:\ Select OK to set current direcoty to C:\WINNT, or select CANCEL to exit." (choosing to CANCEL results in a blank screen.)
2) OK response opens second message window from the Desktop with a big red X in a circle and the message: "Can’t access this folder. Path is too long." (choosing OK results in a blank screen.)

The Task Manager is still accessible, but can’t really do anything that uses C:\ or the operating system.

I have tried booting up from original configuration and no net configuration as well as by every different user & password that used to work. All to no avail. Is there some way to boot the system from a CD or with extensions turned off or something (like you can with a Mac) so that I can go in there and delete the PCMacLAN software? Or is there some kind of dialog you can have with the AMIBIOS startup software that lets you get around the sharing permissions?

[kai_sander]

Check out this site
http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/

ERD Commander should get you out of trouble

[NTidiot]

Dear Kai

thanks very much for the tip. Their prices are prohibitively high, but maybe they have some kind of discounted rates for academic institutions (where I work). I'll give them a try.

- NTidiot