XP Sony Vaio Will Not Boot Due to Password mismatch

[cdgoodlett]

XP - Sony VAIO Model 2253
I tried to correct a corupted registry by following the procedures in this article, because the system file c:\windows\system32\config\system was missing or corrupt.

Article:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307545

There is warning that OEM operating systems have passwords added to them, and that the procedure in the article may prevent you from getting back into the recovery console. I was misinformed, and as such, did not know that in fact the OS was an OEM OS. Now, when I start the computer it tells me that the passwords do not match, and it reboots itself over and over to the same message.

My question is:
Can I reset some jumpers, or wipe the hard drive to get rid of this message, or is this behavior something that is firmware related?

Any help on how to correct this issue would be appreciated.