run an .exe with params before login in win xp

Question

Is there a way to force windows xp pro to run a command once (or each time) on startup when all you have is access to the registry and file system of that windows (when its disk is mounted on another windows)?

It is important that the command will run before login and not require a login.

Answer 1

Answering my own Q. In some cases (like mine) it turns out that you can connect remotely using PSEXEC from systInternals (now Microsoft) PsExec.exe \\machineNameOrIP -u username -p password cmd will open a command shell where you can do quite a lot.