Can't logon with password set in installation (or random password, either)

During installation of xp Professional, I was only
required to enter one password and I did so. The user name
was truncated from my windows 98 user name "HP Autorized
Customer" to "HP Authorized Custom", for which I was
required to enter the password. I assume that this was an
administrator level logon password and user. After
installation and reboot, the "Welcome" screen appears and
calls for a password, which I assumed was the password
that I'd set up when asked in installation. Password won't
work. I've gone to support articles and read "You Are
Prompted to Type a Password After You Upgrade to Windows
XP" and the article describing the Windows XP Recovery
Console and have started the recovery console, read the
setupact.log and found the "Random password for HP
Authorized Custom", which doesn't work to logon either.
When I use the password that I set up on installation, the
words "logging off" appear under the password window.
Also, tried in uppercase - didn't work either. Many
options that I'd expected to encounter in installation
didn't ever appear. Now I dont know whether I have changed
from fat32 or not, since I never saw optioin screen.
You should also be aware that my password is effective to
start the Recovery Console when booting from the Windows
CD, so it was recorded somewhere.
Any thoughts or help?
Thanks,
David C. Vigil