thanks for your comment...I finally found a fix that didn't require a fresh install.
Code:
1. Keep tapping F8 during the early boot phase.
2. Select Safe Mode Command Prompt from the menu.
3. Log on as Administrator if prompted.
4. Select Repair when prompted.
5. Select the Command Prompt.
6. Identify the correct drive letter for your Windows installation. It could be drive E: or F:. You do it by typing the commands
dir C:\Win*
dir D:\Win*
dir E:\Win*
until you find the Windows folder.
I will call that drive "Q:".
7. Type these commands:
cd /d Q:\windows\System32\config
xcopy *.* Q:\RegBack\
cd RegBack
dir
8. Examine the dates of the Software, System and SAM files. Were the files created before or after your problem became apparent?
9. If they were made before the problem became apparent then you can type these commands:
copy /y software ..
copy /y System ..
copy /y Sam ..
(the two dots are part of each command)
10. Reboot normally. If things do not work out then you can backtrack by copying the original registry files from Q:\Regback to Q:\Windows\System32\config.
Thought I would post for people's future reference.