If the workstation starts normally and fails after logon

If you do not receive an error message, and the system simply hangs or continually restarts:

1. Try logging in with a different account. If this resolves the issue, the problem may be related to the user's profile, account profile, permissions or group policy settings. Start by checking the event log on the local machine by using the Microsoft Management Console.
2. Try logging with a local account. If this resolves the issue, the problem may be related to authentication, networking, logon scripts, drive mappings or related issues. Again, the workstation's event logs may provide additional clues to the cause of the failure.
3. Try booting into Safe Mode by pressing F8 during startup and choosing Safe Mode from Windows Advanced Options Menu. Safe Mode loads Windows with a minimal set of drivers and services. If the problem still occurs, it is most likely related to corrupt or missing operating system files or hardware. If the problem does not occur, it is likely to be a driver, service or startup application issue.
4. Enable Bootlogging by pressing F8 during startup, and choosing Enable Bootlogging from the Windows Advanced Options Menu. Bootlogging is a diagnostic feature that will list every driver the operating system tries to load. It creates a text file named Ntdtlog.txt in the Windows directory that can be opened with Notepad. You can also check the status of your hardware devices using Device Manager, which can be accessed via the Microsoft Management Console, or by right clicking the My Computer icon, clicking Properties, selecting the Hardware tab, and clicking the button labeled "Device Manager." From the Device Manager menu, you can add, remove or disable hardware, as well as update or roll back drivers.
5. Perform a clean boot. A clean boot is similar to Safe Mode, except that it offers greater control of the boot process. Here are the steps:
• Logon onto the workstation using an account with Administrator privileges.
• Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
• On the General tab, select Selective Startup, and clear the checkmarks next to the Process System.ini, Process Win.ini File, and Load Startup Items. (Note: You will not be able to clear the "Use original Boot.ini" check box.)
• Next, click the Services tab and check the option to Hide All Microsoft Services. This option will display only the services started by non-Microsoft applications. Select the Disable All option. Click Apply, then click OK and reboot. WARNING: If you clear the Load System Services option on the General tab of the System Configuration Utility, or if you disable all Microsoft services on the Services tab, then all of the restore points for the System Restore utility are deleted.
• If the system starts normally, restart the msconfig utility, choose the General tab, and select the box to next Process System.ini File, click OK and restart the system. If the problem does not reoccur, repeat this step for the Process Win.ini File, Load Startup Items and Load System Services options. If the problem reoccurs, the last item enabled contains the source of the problem.
• If the problem reoccurs after selecting the Load System Services option, you can use the msconfig utility to load each service one at a time until you discover the source of the problem. Services can also be enabled or disabled via the Microsoft Management Console, or via the Computer Management Console.