Unable To Open Task Manager

I am running Windows XP Home edition version 2002 service pack 2. Recently i
have been unable to to open the task manager. CTRL+ALT+DLT does not work,
right-clicking on the taskbar does not work, and going into the control panel
and trying to open it manually does not work. When going through the Help and
Support program, it gave me the option to open it through there, however i
recieve a message stating


"This program could not startThe operating system could not start this
program. This may happen if:

Your computer is on a network.

If a system administrator controls your computer, you should ask the
administrator why you cannot start the program. Your administrator might have
removed the program or set a policy that prevents you from starting it.

You need to install the necessary hardware.

Some programs are installed automatically when you install the hardware
associated with them.

You need to install the necessary software.

The program might not be installed on your computer because:

It is an optional component. To add components after completing Setup, click
Start, click Control Panel, double-click Add or Remove Programs, and then
click Add/Remove Windows Components.
It is a Value Added component. To install a Value Added component, insert
the Windows XP installation CD into your CD-ROM drive. Click Browse this CD,
and double-click the Valueadd folder. After you read the valueadd.htm file,
browse through the folders to find the installation icon for the program that
you want to install. Double-click the icon and follow the directions on the
screen.
You have not installed the hardware that uses this program.
If your computer is on a network, your system administrator may have removed
this program or set a policy that prevents you from starting it.
You need to re-install the program file.

The program file may have been accidentally deleted or corrupted. If you
know the name of the file that is missing, you can copy the compressed
version from the operating system installation compact disc to your hard
drive, and then restore it by doing the following:

Insert the installation compact disc.
Click Browse the CD.
In the folder list, open the I386 or IA64 folder.
Find the name of the missing file.
Note The last letter in the file name extension will be replaced by an
underscore because it is a compressed version of the file. For example,
notepad.exe is called notepad.ex_ on the installation compact disc.

Copy the compressed file to your systemroot\System32 folder on your hard
drive.
Click Start, click Run, and then type:
expand %systemroot%\system32\my_file_name.ex_
%systemroot%\system32\my_file_name.exe
and then press ENTER.
You are running Windows XP 64-Bit Edition.

If you are running Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, the program might not be
available. The information or program that you are trying to locate is not
applicable in this version of Windows, and it is not contained in your
current documentation set.

You need to access an Active Directory snap-in.

You can use Remote Desktop on Windows XP to access Terminal Services on a
Windows 2000 Server that has the snap-in available. For more information
about using Remote Desktop and Windows 2000 Terminal Services, see:

To create a new connection
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Documentation (http://www.microsoft.com/) "

However, none of the options given help me in any way, mostly due to the
fact that they are not true (i am not running XP 64-bit version, nor am i
part of a network).

If you can help me it would be much appreciated. I have searched the forums
and have found nothing to be helpful, due to the fact that i seem to be the
only one experiencing this problem.

again, thank you