Use runas to access control panel on XP

NOTE:  This is less likely to work as the more patches are applied to Windows XP the more the base system changes and this executable may no longer be compatible (if its even there!)

With administrator access denied to Windows XP users it can be hard to maintain their desktops without logging out and in repeatedly. Previously it was possible to runas iexplorer.exe however this ability was blocked around XP SP2. On older XP machines however a backup of the IE6 exe is available (although it could be buggy as its not intended to be used).
Use the runas command on c:\windows\ie7\iexplore.exe, change the address to c:\ and hit the folders button. You now have a old style explorer window running as an administrator.  You can now access files, control panel etc.