The PC may have been set up by the IT department at the chimical works and they may be the main administrators and the only ones who can correct it.

a copy of XP SP2 Home OEM can be bought for about £50 new

http://www.ebuyer.com/UK/product/97548/rb/20534541188

so by getting a copy of winXP i can do a repair install to get back onto my computer? will i lose any of my files etc. by doing a repair install?

thanks for all your help sir

is it XP home or Pro you've got?

can you put the hard drive into another PC as a slave