XP home wont boot due to missing kernel file. "Isass.exe cannot find DNSAPI.dll"?

My gf downloaded two antivirus's which caused her pc to crash. Tried to use system restore but it froze. After pulling the plug and rebooting the pc hangs at the XP logo screen. I tried reparing with the system disks but it needs the admin password which she cant remember. Anyone have any ideas? She has lots of photos on her harddrive which she would hate to lose. Many thanks in advance.

XP home wont boot due to missing kernel file. "Isass.exe cannot find DNSAPI.dll"?kawasaki

It looks like things got pretty hosed up. There's no real easy way out of this mess short of reinstalling Windows. What I'd do is pull her hard drive and set it up as a slave drive on an other computer. This way you can retrievel all the important stuff.

XP home wont boot due to missing kernel file. "Isass.exe cannot find DNSAPI.dll"?nortan antivirus

if you can't get anything to work go out and buy another hard drive. you don't have to get an expensive one if you don't want.

then make the new hard drive the master and the other a slave.

install operating system. then you can recover all data on the other hard drive. this is a last resort and it will work.

or, if you know someone with a computer that you can install that hard drive onto and set it as a slave you can get all your important data %26 pics and burn it to some dvd's or if you have a memory stick or something like that.
since you dont know the admin password, you can either buy the program that by passes it but for a one time use kinda a waste. if you have an usb external CD, DVD or HDD, open the case and plug the hdd into it and accesss the data on another working computer; You need to do a format and reinstall without the password or that program, I personally wouldn't waste the money on the program when you can buy an external case and access the data that way for less than the cost of the program
There are utilityes free on the net that will allow you to blank any password on the system. Any Windows password that is. Google windows password hack and you should find an ISO or two. Be careful doing this.
Safe mode? If that works, backup and reinstall...
user reinstallment cd to turn it back to factory setting or press F8 at start up for safe mode.