Your thoughts

- I was trying to install Vmware 5.5
- Couldn't; kept giving me messages to the effect of "Error 1402 - Cannot access [various registry keys] - insufficient permission."
- Went to Regedit and tried to modify permissions manually.  Wouldn't let me.  Said "Error accessing key."
- Tried running Regedit under System account using PsExec.  Same thing.
- Killed all nonessential processes and svchost.exe's (using Process Explorer).  Managed to change permission of the outerkey ("MiscStatus") but not the innerkey ("1").
- Rebooted into Safe mode.  When it asked if i wanted to allow sptd.sys to run, I said no.  Bluescreened (the process mistakenly set nonpaged memory as paged or something like that)
- Rebooted one more time, and allowed driver to load.  Tried Psexec trick to change key permissions.  No luck.
- Rebooted again.  Windows XP logo comes up, and then screen goes weird for a second and goes black (like monitor could not handle video card graphics mode).
- Says "Windows cannot find E:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM" and to insert original disc and use 'r' for repair options
- Don't know what I should do at the recovery console. 
- What would you all do at this point.  HD is in another computer at the moment.  All partitions are intact and the Windows partition seems to be fine. 

This has nothing to do with Windows, and everything to do with a clueless user forcing configuration changes when the OS is obviously doing everything it can to stop you. You hosed your install; reinstall or install Linux or whatever, and don't be an idiot in the future.

Looks complicated. Are you sure you can't juste do that using Opera?

www.opera.com

>>1
You already installed VMWare, but you haven't realized it. What you are rebooting is your emulated machine! It's all a delusion. Take the blue pill.

>>2
You know what *WAS* idiotic was rebooting into the recovery console and then doing a chkdsk, not realizing that the RTM copy I had only recognizes hd sizes up to 137gb (not good for a 250gb hd).

Fortunately, another chkdsk on a properly updated machine cured it, except for 3 files killed and a bunch moved into \found.001.

It wouldn't let me install Word 2003 either.  Same installation error, different key.

>>5
Registry is fucked. Nuke&pave.

>>4
lol

zomg oh shi- vmware installed wrong!
my whole life is emulated now and i can't escaaaaape...