XP Pro, can't access admin tools

I have a user account that is listed as computer administrator which is password protected. I just recently assigned a password to it and made two other accounts that are limited accounts and are password protected as well. There is also a guest account, that states that the account is off and another account, I have no idea what it is, ASP.NET Machine A.... that is a limited account and is password protected.

I was attempting to restrict certain programs from being accessed by the limited accounts and tried to follow directions provided in a link provided to me.
http://www.rr-bb.com/archive/index.php/t-141818

I obviously did something terribly wrong, I changed the softwre restrictions to disallow as the default and now I can't access the folders to make the change back. I made these changes logged in a "user"

A window pops up stating that "windows cannot open this program because it has been prevented by a software sestriction policy. For more information, open Event Viewer or contact your system administrator." I can't access simple programs like paint and word.

I was told that I could undo the changes logging in as the "Administrator" and told to CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the log in screen to log in. I still can't access "Administrative Tools"


I don't have a clue how to undo the changes made. Countin' on someone to to help me fix my mess!!

Thanks

Go into safe mode. Login under the Administrator account. Go to the exact location of those programs. mspaint.exe I believe is in the Windows/System 32 directory. WinWord.exe is located in Program Files/Microsoft Office/Office10. Try right-clicking on the folders and going to the Security tab. From there, set permissions so those programs can be used. Hopefully this will help you access those simple programs.

Or have you tried reversing the steps that you did to get to where you are?

It's not possible to reverse the steps I used. Whether I log in as "user", which is what I was logging in as when I made the changes or whether I log in as "administrator", I can't access any of the "adinistrative tools". I made the changes in "computer management"

I have a feeling that if I attempt to reset the permissions through safe mode, I'll end up digging myself into a deeper hole. Why am I not able to access "administrative tools" logged in as "administrator"? If I can reset permissions through safe mode for simple programs, could permissions be reset for "administrative tools"? Can anyone walk me through it?