Disappearing user account

[tompepsi]

My daughter's user account is missing from Control Panel/User accounts/manage.

Some background: I recently had to reinstall the OS (XP sp2) because her PC was so screwed up. When I had everything restored I went to control panel/user accounts and changed her setting to a limited account. A bit later I went back to user accounts and the PC told me that MY account was not recognized and that I should reboot and sign in again. Which I did but when I went to user accounts I got the same message. I then rebooted into safe mode, went to user accounts and did what I needed to do, change daughter's account temporarily to administrator, to download and install updates. That done, I changed her back to limited account.

So, today, a few weeks later, Firefox on her account won't update because of her limited account. And the PC tells me, again, that my account is not recognized. So I reboot into safe mode, then user accounts and all I see is my account, an admin account and a guest account (not turned on). My daughter's account didn't exist on this safe mode/user account. So I logged off and logged back on (still in safe mode) with her name and password. No problem logging on. But of course her limited account wouldn't allow me to change it to admin account (for the Firefox update).

I logged off, logged back on again as “Administrator,” went to user accounts but still no sign that my daughter had an account on the PC.

If anybody has any idea at all of what is going on here then your advice would be greatly appreciated, about how to restore her account to the manage user page and/or have the PC “recognize” my account or how to work around my daughter's limited account so I can update Firefox and anything else that might need it.

Thanks.