Help... Needing help setting up small Network for test lab.

Does anyone have any experience joining a custom install of XP Pro to an AD domain. I have read in a couple of places that it isn't possible but the explainations were vague and no work around except for reinstal with a fix was offered. Any help or pointers would be greatly appreciated. I am studing (again) for my 290 and would like to get this to work.
Life and the never ending pursuit....
Comments
Only XP Pro can join the domain.
Exam 70-064: Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows® 95
Exam 70-067: Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0
As far as what I mean... is that I created a custom installation of my real XP machine. In doing so AD will not allow it to join its network. I can kinda understand why and all because AD doesn't want "rough" elements that it can't fully maintain. But there has to be a way of getting around this short of reinstalling XP.
_____________________________
Minds are like umbrella's, we just need a open one
I would say most businesses would use customed build images of xp. Tell us how you go about getting xp to be added to AD, and where in the stage you were having problem?