I had a question similar on a different board, here's what the best reply was, I think it will help:
"Been doing some research, and here's what I came up with:
Autoexec.nt isn't used by WinXP. It's used to initialize a DOS-environment: only if you open a DOS-window, autoexec.nt will be loaded. In that autoexec.nt-file, there are a couple of options: it'll probably load a cd-driver (mscdexnt.exe), a soundcard-driver, and the actual DOS-prompt (dosx.exe, also in your system32-directory)...
So, it's basically the same as the autoexec.bat-files on older DOS-system and does NOT affect Windows.
The same goes for Config.nt: just a DOS-initialization file, build up the same way as config.sys files: it'll load dos in your upper memory blocks, and set a files-limit. Again, WinXP is NOT affected by this file.
Window's boot-files are system.ini, win.ini and boot.ini. If you open msconfig (start --> run --> msconfig), you'll notice that you can exclude programs from being started at boot-up, but you can not add programs. You'll need registry-access to do that...
There IS a way to do it, though... Haven't tested it out yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work: Just open msconfig and look at what programs are started at boot-up. Let's say you have a C:\Program Files\Norton\nortonav.exe in there. Now, rename that nortonav.exe to let's say nortonav.bak, copy the program you'd like to see added to c:\Program Files\Norton, and rename it to nortonav.exe.
Don't hack Windows, fool it..." - Negative
This might help if some one knows the pass and wont give it to you, or changed it and forgot. just make an exe to add users to the admin group, and you'll have admin access.
-cross
[ June 19, 2002: Message edited by: cross ]
