when you logged onto their network. They have scripts that can reconfigure your Windows configuration and remove the local machine entry.

Can you try "Safe Mode"? Hit F8 when it says "Windows XP....". Maybe you can try to recreate the local account? Log into Safe Mode, click on Control Panel, open up the System icon. Click on "Computer Name" and then hit "Change". Does it show your Workgroup or Domain name there? If Domain, don't change anything or else an administrator will have to add your system back into it when you get back in. If it is a workgroup, you can change the workgroup to something else. If you change from domain to workgroup, it will erase the domain, and you do not want that. I suspect you have Domains configured. If so, then you don't have XP Home, as it does not support domains.

Workgroup and Domains joining are expained here:
[link|http://www.lpt.com/windowsnetworking/regusers/wxpjoind.htm|http://www.lpt.com/w...sers/wxpjoind.htm]

While in Safe Mode, see what you can modify in the Administration tools:
Open up the Local Security Policy from the Administrative Tools in the Control Panel. Under Local Policies, User Rights Assignment check that the Log on locally item contains the following groups:

Administrators
Guest
Power Users
Users

Chances are they removed all of these groups so nobody can log into the machine locally, and only from a network account.

I am unable to locate where the local computer account is stored that can be switched off and on.

In safe mode do this:

Click on Star Menu, choose Run, type this in:
control userpasswords2

Hit Enter.

Do you see any user names for the computer? If not, they wiped them all out. Some BOFH zapped them. Click ADD to add in the Administrator account, etc.

One way to trick it is to set up an NT 4.0 Server or Windows 2000 Server, or Linux server with a SAMBA server using the same Domain name as your work uses, but at home. Do you have a second machine to log into?